STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING. Listen to this song. This is Murray James, and he might just be my latest obsession. “In The City” is the title track and first single taken from his upcoming debut album, due July 30th (UK iTunes) on Deconstruction/Sony Music. It’s hard to describe his vocal style because it’s so unique and original, but I do hear little bits of James Blunt and James Morrison mixed with some Jamie Scott (Graffiti6), Maverick Sabre and Alex Clare. Murray James‘ voice is chock-full of honey-coated soul and steeped in down & dirty, gritty folk/rock. I don’t know much about this guy, but if this is any indication of what the rest of the album sounds like, he’s going to be HUGE.
According to his bio, Murray James hails from Milford on Sea, a large village located on the south coast of England. Musically his influences are diverse, drawing on everything from soul, and reggae to hip hop, listing influences like Citizen Cope, Mos Def, Common, Lauryn Hill, The Roots, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, and Al Green. Not sure how old he is, but he sounds like Murray James been singing for years, when in reality he’s only released one 4-track EP back in October called Protect Me. Already nominated for Q Magazine‘s ‘Next Big Thing Award‘ and dubbed ‘a superstar’ by The Sun, Murray James has only just begun. Working on his debut album in the UK and here in America with producer Dan Grech Marguerat (Scissor Sisters, Dragonette, Lana Del Rey), it’s only a matter of time before Murray James becomes a household name.
“In The City” was written by James and Pete Martin. Check out the lovely black & white video BELOW (directed by Pip) and see what all the fuss is about. I also included some remixes of “Protect Me” (ABOVE) from his debut EP, and videos for “Protect Me” and “Blue Today” (BELOW). Did I mention that Murray James is absolutely gorgeous? While he may look like an Adonis in the picture up top, he’s a lot scruffier now. Good looking AND a good singer? *MELT MY HEART.*
Download James’ debut EP on iTunes BELOW.
Check out Murray James on the web: