Designer Magazine

Supporting Katie Melua @ The Lowry, Manchester

With Paddy Casey joining the tour early next week as the special guest it's up to newcomer James Blunt to warm things up gently for the main act. Recently signed to Elektra Records, Blunt looks set to be one of the breakthrough artists of the SXSW festival later this month with a collection of instant modern classics which offers the promise we first saw with a James Walsh from Starsailor, yet with songs so well written they wipe the floor with anything Coldplay, Starsailor, David Gray and any of their ilk could ever come up with. "High", "So Long Jimmy", "Tears In The Rain" and "You're Beautiful" will be the soundtrack to our lives in the very near future and rather than conform to the staid personality of your archetypal singer songwriter, Blunt has the sort of deadpan sense of humour displayed by comedy toff Jimmy Carr. Blunt's ascendance is a dead cert and this time next year it isn't that far removed from reality to suggest that a number 1 album, Brit Award and countless accolade's will be his for the taking.

By Alex McCann                                                   7th March 2004