POP STAR ROCKS

POP STAR ROCKS
Fort Worth Star Telegram - Fort Worth,TX,USA
By MARK LOWRY. In November, British singer-songwriter James Blunt played Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie, opening for Jason Mraz. ...
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GRAND PRAIRIE -- Never underestimate the power of a single and a video.

In November, British singer-songwriter James Blunt played Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie, opening for Jason Mraz. It's doubtful many Americans had heard of Blunt then.

Now, after endless radio and video-channel spins of You're Beautiful, a song destined to underscore chick-flick trailers for years to come, Blunt nearly sold out Nokia on Monday night.

Yes, even the venue's rarely full balcony was teeming with screaming fans, mostly women.

(Mraz's last album didn't do so well; he might be opening for Blunt one day.)

Here's the thing about a single with the huge appeal of You're Beautiful, which has spawned as much vitriol as it has adoration: People buy the album, in this case the infectious Back to Bedlam.
And they learn every word.

Then they sing them, loudly, at the concert.

Blunt's fans got to put their recitation skills to good use Monday because Blunt made it through all 10 songs on Bedlam (the big hit, of course, was the last of three songs in the encore).

He also performed some new material and offered up a lovely solo cover at the upright piano of '70s British glam band Slade's Coz I Luv You.

He returned to the piano several times but mostly stuck with guitar as front man for a four-piece band, which rocked. As did -- and this is hard to admit for one of those Beautiful haters -- Blunt.

You may not care for that song, but there's no denying the guy is a natural performer. He engaged the audience, worked the stage and even let some humor slip out. For example, before launching into Wisemen, he teased the crowd with, "Does anyone know a song called Hotel California? Well, I don't. But I do know this one."

His falsetto moments, most notably on High and Tears and Rain, were in top form, and his Rod Stewart-esque rasp adds another layer to his almost inexplicable sex appeal. You don't get to see it in the video, but onstage Blunt has charisma to spare. Only on You're Beautiful did we hear a hint in his voice that he might be losing it on tour.

An especially affecting song was No Bravery, which he wrote while serving in the British Army in Kosovo. It was backed by video footage of people in wartime. Truly beautiful.
GRADE: A-