James Vickery just came back from cooking a new project titled Sheet Music, and he’s basically trying to tell us that his voice might be the smoothest thing after the surface of an oily pot.
The London based singer/songwriter’s confidence screams “Master rights holder” and he sounds happy to have all the creative control on his work.
Given his hearing impairment, James has mastered the art of not doing too much, but still being able to sound all sorts of amazing. The combination of his euphonious voice on slow beats accompanied by refined guitar chords is the most creative thing to come into existence thus far.
Let’s dive into the tale of a 5-song harmonious design. Sheet Music; does he mean bedroom music? As in “music to make love to“, or is he referring to the concept of notating music notes into a score, like how musician did in the 16th century.
It’s a bit hard to tell when you are lost in the moment and being so immersed by his genius while drinking your black coffee and considering the possibility of achieving an actual relationship via Tinder or Facebook messenger. The point is, his lyrics on his new EP will remind you of how it feels to become smitten.
Thank God I am not the only one who feels this way. Also, I know what love sounds like! A fan expressed how “The Reason”, the second song on the EP makes her feel like she “needs a lover”, this followed by a ‘face holding back tears’ emoji.
This effect thickens as you delve into the pieces of the EP. The use of background harmonies gives it warmth which gives off a sensation of feeling safe, at least I assume.
The lyrical content and vocal melodies are of such of a high caliber, thus giving the Extended Play a satisfactory replay value. Think of this way, if intimacy was a sound, would this be it?
I have my personal favorite; it answers YES to the above question. A modern balled entitled “I Get So Emotional”. It took me all the way on a trip to the 90s. James basically expresses his gratitude to his lover, grateful for being in her space.
What I appreciate most about this piece in particular is that it makes it easy for the listener to pick up where his musical inspiration/s were derived from.
In pop culture jargon, “it’s giving ’90s BabyFace”. The visuals to this design definitely back up my point, from the lighting to the cutaway scenes and the famous “Singing In The Rain” skit. James has proven himself beyond measure on his ability to fuse the old school sounds with the new age style.
Does a part of me feel like the project could have been a bit longer? Probably yes, but would that do justice to the replay value? The beautiful thing about short projects is that they leave you longing for more.
While you are waiting, contemplating about whether to text them or not and finishing the last bit of that coffee you were having earlier on, you can’t help but start imagining and anticipating more offerings from the artist.
Touching on the last chunks of the EP, James also released a visual interpretation of the song “Only You” and it serves the story that the lyrics tell and the mood of the song.
Tainted with rhythm and blues, a beautiful thing to watch while letting yourself fall victim to the possibility of you texting them. The EP has about one featured artist by the name of Kojey Radical, who is featured on a song called “With U”, a collaboration we never knew we needed.
Hollywood is probably peeking and giving him a nudge saying, “we can make you the next Sam Smith!”. Not in James’ words, but they definitely gave him that call according to his LOUDER documentary, where he takes us through his creative process. I am happy that our boy gracefully declined the offer, he’s better off as the next James Vickery.
Listen to James Vickery’s Sheet Music EP below and stream it elsewhere here.
Words by Paballo Tshilo
