With Hozier still in the Top 10, it looks like we've got at least a little room for some indie rock on the charts still. Will that include James Bay? Let's find out!
James Bay hasn't been active for long, but his new single, "Hold Back the River", has given him the most buzz he's had in his career, careening him to the Top 10 in five countries, none of which are the United States. Does this guy have a prayer? Well, other than Hozier, how has the history of rock n' roll on the charts been lately?
Well, there have been hits, but they haven't really been the brand James is going for here. Rather than peppy, poppy rock, James Bay appears to be going for a more soulful, folksy sound. And honestly... that brand of rock hasn't been getting much success lately. To get big on the charts and be a rock song in 2014, you either had to be peppy and fun like Paramore or big and bombastic like Bastille. If not, well you end up like "Riptide": scraping the Top 30 and nothing more. And as far as I can tell, this song hasn't even charted yet. Not that James Bay is a bad artist; he's certainly not. But he just hasn't crossed over for some reason. Why could that be?
If I'm being brutally honest here, the song is a little generic. It's got a Mumford & Sons thing going on but without the twangy banjos or the sheer amount of energy. Mumford & Sons minus all the parts that make them who they are. It's still a "good" song, but I can see why the public isn't taking to it. It's just not very interesting. I feel like I've heard exactly this song a million times over. Every rock song that got big in the past while had its own unique style and deserved to make it. This? This just seems peripheral.
For the record. James Bay is a very good singer. It's just that this song just doesn't do much for me. It actually doesn't start out bad, but once it gets into the second verse and drops the minimalist instrument thing, it stops being its own thing and starts becoming generic. Not the worst song I've heard by any means. Just... eh.
Hot 100 Success:
Will he have it?
I really don't think this is distinctive enough to catch on. It's got some interesting things going on, I guess, but I think we were spoiled by interesting rock music this year. Sorry, man.
Should he have it?
Like I said, James Bay is not a bad artist by any means. I've listened to a few of his other songs and he does have a distinctive style. And his biggest hit is not a bad song, either. We certainly wouldn't be worse off with James Bay on the charts, so I'll give him a pass, i suppose.
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