I’m extra excited to be reviewing my first Pop album by James Arthur, a popular Pop star from Middlesbrough, UK. Arthur finally dropped his 5th studio album on Friday, November 5th, 2021 entitled ‘It’ll All Make Sense in the End’, and I must say it was worth the wait. The album is 50 minutes long and consists of 14 songs. Arthur started the project back in April of 2020 after the pandemic hit in the United States but it had to be postponed because of health reasons that the Pop star encountered. I guess it’s safe to say that he’s back and better than ever with this album, letting the world know about a lot of things he’s endured during his time away from the music scene.
Arthur is known to put you in your feelings with his powerful vocals when he blesses the mic in the studio and he certainly didn’t hold back when he put this project together. Every song has a deeper meaning and story behind it which brings more feeling throughout the entire album. I really love the cover of the album which happens to be a young Arthur looking up to the present Arthur. I like that because it matches the title of the album and it all comes full circle.
The first song on the album is an ear catcher entitled “Running Away”. The song starts off by saying, ‘I wanna smoke til I can’t wake up’. The singer details that this is where he was at a certain point in his life. He admits that since he was young, he tends to hit a wall and self-medicate, but this time it did not save him. He recognized that the only thing that could help him was getting back in the studio and touching on his deepest thoughts and childhood trauma he never healed from. The song seems very dark, but his voice and tone really brings it to life. He even raps on the song which is something many did not know he could do, myself included. I like this song because I’m sure people could relate to it and may find themselves self-medicating like he did instead of dealing with the problem.
Another song from the album I like is “Emily”. “Emily” is a name that the Pop star wants to name his future daughter. In the song he is detailing all of his wrongs in his past and is promising to be a better person for her whenever she arrives. Although a daughter is not in the cards as of right now, just thinking of the possibility made him want to become a better person.
My personal favorite is “Last of the Whiskey”. It is my favorite because you really hear all of the vocal power that Arthur possesses. The song will remind you of the last time you had with a special someone and may encourage you to reach out to them. This song can be dangerous and would really have a lot of people going back to their ex’s. Although Arthur said he had fun making this track, he sounds as though he felt a lot of pain behind it.
This album is indeed a true gem due to its vocals and meanings behind each song. It has no skips and details a lot of honesty about the artist’s life which makes it more relatable and powerful.
