Greatest Hits

James’s powers of reinvention take on varying forms throughout the Greatest Hits album. Stripped of its pop-leaning production and Nelly Furtado’s featured vocal, ‘Broken Strings’ is a far more sombre experience that gains a deeper emotional impact.

His breakthrough ‘You Give Me Something’ has a more nuanced live feel, not only within the music but also with his now huskier, bluesy tone, while ‘I Won’t Let You Go’ takes on a fervent, gospel-tinged energy.

And ‘You Make It Real’ is a particularly stellar example of James channelling all of the ups and downs that come with long-term relationships to sing a love song that comes straight from the heart. Both versions of the songs co-exist very naturally together.

The originals still have the freshness that they first had, but now they have a wealth of memories attached to them. Meanwhile, the newer versions show that a great song can evolve very organically over time, especially as an artist’s ability grows in tandem.