James Morrison- O2 Institute, Digbeth

James Morrison- O2 Institute, Birmingham, 30^th March 2019

James Morrison has the kind of distinctive, soulful voice that needs no spectacular backing set to provide support. However, the singer's performance on the 30th March as part of a striking band made for a night of impressive entertainment, re-living old memories with tracks from a decade ago, along with prominent new material. 

An overture from the band preceded James' entrance, launching into the performance of 2006 hit 'Under the Influence', complete with a notable synth organ. This introduced the audience to his talented backing singers, providing the backbone to the whole performance and stepping in as female solo parts for a couple of tracks that required duets. Their harmonies added another layer to each number that is not experienced simply by listening to the music on Spotify, offering a new perspective.

The rest of the band members were able to ensure a smooth transition between songs, with 'Nothing Ever Hurt Like You' appearing to blend seamlessly into the next track, 'Feels Like The First Time.' This track from James's new album, You're Stronger Than You Know, tells the story of being infatuated by an unpredictable lover, for which the joyful bass line portrayed the mood of hopeless romance. As the backing singers held the tune, James was able to show off astonishing improvisation skills, adding vocal interjections and an impressive falsetto range. This was a musician clearly comfortable on stage, able to build on the steady foundations of the band.

Whilst the stage lighting appeared initially to be very simple, displaying block colours which altered with each song, the lights changed during 'Power' to reveal illuminated gold discs. This fit in perfectly with the theme of the song, which James disclosed that he had written for his other half to build her up on difficult days. It felt inspiring at the end of Women's History Month to be hearing a song that tells women 'don't underestimate your power', and this was only heighted by the strength of the performance.

The pace slowed down after this track to make way for the heart-felt number 'I Won't Let You Go', which topped the charts back in 2011. Slow-moving beams of light matched up with the acoustic feel of the song, and the audience showed their appreciation by singing along to every word. A couple of songs later the crowd were treated to another classic hit, in the form of 'Broken Strings', in which James Morrison's expertly crafted harmony proved why the single gained so much success when it was originally released as a duet with Nelly Furtado. 

Switching back to new tracks from his 2019 album, James performed the passionate 'My Love Goes On', with fiery, ascending vocals from the backing singers and metallic piano tones. Whilst this performance was impressive, it was perhaps downplayed by James' disbelief as to whether the fans would know the song- a worry he expressed before a number of tracks throughout the evening. This seemed to depreciate the value of several impressive new songs, making me wish that his interaction had a more positive basis.

Nonetheless, even if some members of the audience were hearing many of the tracks for the first time, they seemed to greatly enjoy them, particularly the atmospheric 'Glorious'. Turquoise lighting combined with echoing harmonies to create a real sense of glory, which the crowd were keen to join in with. Through the instrumentation, James and his band were really able to add something to the tracks, such as an electric guitar solo in 'You Give Me Something' that I had never picked up on before. This kept the performance unpredictable and highly exciting.

Returning for the encore, James chose to perform 'Slowly', a recent track which explores the singer's past and establishes a firm sense of identity. I felt that this really worked as it allowed the singer to send a message to his audience that even after years of musical reclusiveness, James is back with an even stronger idea of his own persona. 

In a sincere final speech, James thanked his supporting band and devoted fans, before assuring his audience that 'hopefully, you'll believe this is a wonderful world.' This provided a fitting transition into his closing number, 'Wonderful World', once again showcasing James' youthful talent, which remains untainted even decades later.

Even if some members of the audience had turned up solely to hear the widely popular 'Broken Strings', they certainly left with the experience of countless other amazing hits, both old and new alike. The strength of James' performance must be credited to his fantastic band, who were able to work with the singer to take his music above and beyond expectations.