Aiden James Trouble With This Songster Sounds
Fans of the folk singer-songwriter sound Aiden James established on his last two albums might find his latest album a shock to the system — but it’s only a mild shock and, listening to the results, they’d get over it fast enough.
James’ acoustic guitars coexist with synths and electronic beats on the majority of the songs, but they are always bubbling underneath the glittery surface, driving the tunes. As a result, James’ brand of heartfelt songs crafts a glossy sheen and new-age atmospherics.
The best songs on the album are those in which James exercises the most restraint with the electronic wizardry. When the acoustic guitars and pianos are in the front seat of the mix, it gets no better than songs like “Lullaby,” “Snapshot” and “Gonna Hurt More.”
James gets furthest from his traditional sound when he lets programmed beats drive the songs, giving a poppy bounce to tracks like “Best Shot” and “Let’s Go.” At times, it feels like James crashed a recording session meant for Gwen Stefani (it’s that happy and bubbly). It’s a pleasant-enough detour, and we’d love to see if James is willing to take his flirtations with technology further down the rabbit hole on future albums.
That said, James is smart enough to know that people love their singer-songwriters deep, introspective and soulful, if not sometimes dark and brooding. Thankfully, that characterizes most of the songs on “Trouble,” a solid album that should please James’ fans while exposing him to a wider audience.
— Larry Nichols