James Humphrys is an accomplished singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist from Bristol with several critically acclaimed releases to his name, including the collaboration with Conal Kelly on “Tongue Tied”, 2017’s five-track “Sun Mantra” EP, and his last two singles, “Colour” and “All The Same”. From 10 July 2020 he will be able to count his new “Memory Palace” EP among them.
James‘ SoundCloud page has more examples of what he’s been doing in the studio over the years and examples of why he has been chosen to perform at venues like The Royal Albert Hall and Glastonbury Festival with artists like San Cisco, Shortstraw, and Cassia. Each track harkens to one style and another, most prominent for mine include the Jamie Cullenesque I’m Not Your Man and (brighter versions than Richard Marx‘s or Bruce Springsteen‘s) The River, and the infectious Deeelite-styled For Another.
So three years, two gigs off the Pacific Coast of Alaska, and influence from Foals, Parcels, Bombay Bicycle Club, and Real Estate later, it’s time to offer the music-loving public a further selection of his work for their dancing, chilling, or simply listening pleasure. All the Same would already be familiar to some, having been released on 12 June 2020 and I can already hear that drum-and-bassline on adult- or pop-oriented radio stations blasted by early-morning baristas trying to put a positive spin on their customers’ morning coffee, or blaring from the windows of passing cars doing the 21st-century promenade.
Better Now is the first of two tracks created whilst working off the Pacific Coast of Alaska and there’s nothing chill about this funky, brassy number, or about Colour, the other single from this record. Jamie Cullen may have been popular during the late 1990s/early 2000s but his influence is alive and well in this release.
Lost In You, also inspired by the Pacific Coast cold, wraps things up and invites us to hit the repeat button so we can enjoy the record again, or maybe explore the other work available online through his own site or in music retail outlets.
The press accompanying this release speaks of the “infectious and uplifting” beats that offer “everything from funk fuelled rhythms to jazz inspired horn sections” that lyrically explore the man’s “positive and optimistic outlook”. This punter’s recommendation is to get into this record any way you can, join that Main Street-promenade, and make “Memory Palace” the soundtrack of your positivity-driven lockdown-summer of 2020.