“Talk,” like much of British troubadour James Bay ‘s latest album, “Changes All the Time,” ends with a rousing chorus sung above a guitar melody. To get there, he starts with a confession: “I don’t know how to talk to you/I gotta give you something true.”
The truth is, Bay is incredibly articulate. The album, his fourth, sees the musician turn lyrics into soulful cries or earnest encouragement atop raw instrumentation — as is signaled by the album cover, which features Bay alongside images of guitars and a keyboard.
The singer-songwriter, 34, first emerged over a decade ago, making waves with his 2014 debut album, “Chaos and the Calm.” His breakout hit, the six-times platinum “Let It Go” — with its fingerpicked introduction and easy-to-sing-along-to chorus — has since surpassed 1.2 billion streams on Spotify. Bay’s talent arrived in the midst of the 2010s’ embrace of pop singer-songwriters: He toured with Hozier and Taylor Swift early in his career; his breakthrough tracks shared radio waves with Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith ‘s enduring hits.
Now, in 2024, his new music arrives at an opportune moment. The folk stylings of “Changes All the Time” are likely to be embraced by nostalgic fans and new ones alike, those who’ve turned to the genre during a post-pandemic resurgence. Led by artists like Noah Kahan and Lizzy McAlpine, there are potential new listeners looking for vulnerable lyrics to become universal mantras.
Kahan and The Lumineers join Bay on the spirited lead single, “Up All Night,” an entry into the “stomp and holler” canon that quickly conjures the image of live musicians jamming in a pub, around a campfire, in a garage or on stage. Over Bay’s guitar, the collaborators promise to drop their guards, singing: “Let’s talk about dreams/Let’s talk about lies/Let’s talk about all the things that keep us/Up all night.”
Produced by Gabe Simon — who recently worked with Kahan on his critically-acclaimed “Stick Season” – “Changes All the Time” sees Bay reckoning with late-night thoughts and big emotions with a variety of voices.
Holly Humberstone, known for her moody pop, lends a writing credit to the album closer “Dogfight.” The Killers’ Brandon Flowers co-writes “Easy Distraction,” an apologetic love song with a killer bridge and electric guitar melody. Bay emulates singer-songwriter Kevin Garrett’s tender, whisper-singing on “Crystal Clear,” which Garrett co-wrote.
Bay’s strength as a songwriter is felt deepest in the album’s most emotive moments — like when “Hope” employs a chorus of background vocals, turning a plea for optimism into a unifying message. Even as Bay sings about hard times, he assures “it’s gonna be alright” — as he sings on “Dogfight.”
What “Changes All the Time” makes clear is that positivity — even in moments of tension — is Bay’s love of the craft shining through.
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