Description
Long before James Bay was selling out the nation’s venues and picking up BRIT awards, he could be found vying for people’s ears at open mic nights, or soundtracking their shopping while busking in Brighton. Those situations intensify one’s isolation, and have been known to break lesser souls, but as a building ground for aspiring songwriters, it’s a fertile arena for developing one’s ability to connect.
Chaos and the Calm, Bay‘s first full-length album following a pair of well-received EPs, reveals he has a precocious talent as a songwriter, guitarist, and vocalist, and is just as comfortable with outgoing tracks like “Collide” as he is with intimate, personal numbers such as “Let It Go” as he winds together elements of pop, folk, rock, blues, and soul. Often compared to Ed Sheeran and Ben Howard, Chaos and the Calm shows James Bay has the style and the ability to stand on his own, and it’s the work of a new performer with an impressive potential.
