It’s hard to make someone a star if they don’t have “it.”
You can dress them up and teach them to sing and dance,
but they will never have “it.”
Joshua James is another story. He’s bursting with natural
talent. He has “it” without ever desiring “it.” He’s just
a star. He was born with the ability to empathize with the
world around him and put those feelings into song. His gift
is front and center on Build Me This. His vocals are often
sung in almost a whisper, befitting the dark tone of his
lyrics. Musically grounded in a traditional style, he takes
risks but tempers his youth with a wisdom that stretches
beyond his youth.
The opening song, “Coal War,” is stunning. It’s easy to
imagine this song filling the hall of a small southern church.
It builds from a simple vocal and tambourine to a full-on
rock song; every verse adds just a little more of a layer.
It’s the standout song from the album and one of the best
songs of the year.
On “Magazine” he fills the space with beautiful harmonies
and a pop hook, propelling the song forward with a raucous
piano track to blend the old and new school sounds of soul.
Returning to his acoustic guitar on “Weeds,” he sings about
karma and damnation. It’s a finger-waving, sharp-witted
folk gem. Lest you think he can’t rock, he delivers a powerful
impassioned blues song with dirty riffs and loose drumming.
He does this all without sounding counterfeit. It just pours
out of him and fits nicely on the album.
Most of the second half of the album is what you would
expect from him, which is excellent folk songs. Save for
the wonderfully lonesome “Daniel”. He grabs you with his
melancholy voice and shows you why he is considered one
of the best singer-songwriters of today.
He has veered slightly away from the direction of his
last album, The Sun Is Always Brighter. In this release,
he explores how his voice sounds with different textures
and tones, choosing to dig deeper into the shadows of his
heart and soul. It seems he finds solace in the darkest
of places and it delivers music real, raw and honest emotions.
This is one not to be missed.
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