CD Review
Artist: James Murdoch
Title: In Transit
Label: Indica Records
Publicity: Business Dreams Consulting

3 ½ Stars

Reviewed By: Kindah Mardam Bey

It is easy to define James Murdoch's fourth album In Transit...quality. Murdoch is a great musician and already a pro at a young age. He comes from a family of creative people and he was destined to take the world of music on like a second skin from an early standpoint. Murdoch has already performed with innumerable bands, and innumerable records, and he seems primed to be noticed on a larger scale with In Transit. Murdoch's music is polished, current and rich with reflection.

You can here Murdoch's influences in much of his music as hints of Keane and Coldplay are heard in the track ‘Transportation,' Paul McCartney can be heard impressionistically in the great track ‘King And Queens,' and even a little seventies glam rock can be found in ‘Give Me Your Love.' ‘Goodnight' is a wonderfully romantic song, as is ‘Blindsided.' Murdoch has a great texture to his voice, which is calming, and tender, as well as reminiscent and slightly melancholy. You could easily put In Transit on during a laidback house party and people would be asking who the artist is. Producer and Singer Songwriter, Hawksley Workman's fingerprint is all over this album, which is a perfect match in temper and style to Murdoch's own.   

James Murdoch sounds like a soft-edged rock musician; full of great ballads and uplifting songs, but still with a little edge to pull his sound out of the pop realm. My only concern is that even though In Transit has a great amount of polished quality to each and every track Murdoch creates, he might be pigeon-holed as his sound is often duplicated in present day (think Barenaked Ladies and all the other bands that sound similar to them). I hope that Murdoch's ability to do common tread territory better than most will help him to standout. Either way you look at it, Murdoch is a huge asset to Western Canada's presence in music.

 
Get What You Deserve
Kings And Queens
Transportation
Give Me Your Love
Something To Hold Onto
Shooting Stars
Goodnight
Picture It All
Lift You Up
Long Distance Love Song
False Alarm
Blindsided