James Lawson - A Darkness
‘The Last Time’ / ‘A Darkness’
Release Date: April 19th 2010
Label: Lookout Mountain Records
Format: Digital Download
Cat # LOOKDig01
Cornwall based singer-songwriter Jamie Lawson precedes the release of his eagerly anticipated debut album, ‘The Pull of The Moon’, with the release of a ‘double A-side’ single on April 19th 2010.
‘The Last Time’ and ‘A Darkness’ are just two of the stand-out tracks taken from the debut album by an artist whose ever-growing reputation as a songwriting star is backed with a voice which justifies the hype.
But why give your time and attention to Jamie Lawson? It’s not as if there’s any obvious shortage of young singer-songwriters right now. Far from it. Wherever you turn, there’s yet another fresh-faced hopeful coming at you with a guitar and a claim on the future. But even in a crowded marketplace there will always be room for an artist who has what it takes to be better than the rest. And if you love music and have a heart and a pair of ears, you’ll recognise within the space of just one song that here is exactly that sort of someone.
Co-written with Adam Argyle (who has written songs for Newton Faulkner, amongst others) ‘The Last Time’ is a song about hope and hopeless desperation, about not giving up on a relationship with someone when really, in all honesty, you probably should just let it go.
In stark contrast, however, ‘A Darkness’ is a classic murder ballad and one of the darkest songs Jamie has ever written. He explains, “It sounded like something old, like something that had been around for years, so I followed it. I didn't know I'd end up stalking someone, killing them in their bedroom and then begging for forgiveness for having done it again! I think the point of it was trying to find understanding for someone who has no idea what they're capable of, who doesn't understand their actions, as if love itself is some form of illness from which there is obviously no cure.”
In addition to his own regular schedule of gigging, Jamie has performed alongside the likes of Mundy, The Four of Us, Glen Hansard of The Swell Season, Tom Baxter, Gemma Hayes, The Frames, Martha Wainwright and Damien Rice, and has already been chosen as the opening act for outdoor gigs by both Van Morrison and Katie Melua. With this in mind, it’s clear that Jamie Lawson’s star is in the ascendancy – and rightly so.