by Geno Thackara
Think of them as U2 without the ego. James can write a mean hook and a great singalong chorus like nobody’s business, but these guys have always been as down-to-earth and humble as they come (even when packing arenas). They don’t demand attention or act flashy like the outspoken popular kid at school; they’re more like the unassuming quiet guy you’d see every day and barely notice. Chances are you’ve heard little else besides their ’93 smash “Laid” and maybe lesser-known singles like “She’s a Star” or “Sit Down”, or else you’re already a convert who loves them and doesn’t need to be told this stuff anyway. (And also, you’re now my newest friend.)
Hits or not, they’ve always been a bit too offbeat and thoughtful for a proper pop group – even “Laid” is a lot more subtle than its catchy title track suggests. It’s not really surprising that they didn’t repeat that fluke success. Instead they struggled but continued hanging on until late December of 2001, when singer Tim Booth decided to leave for other pursuits. Fortunately for all of us, some time apart was just what they needed to recharge and come back refreshed, even bringing a couple past members back on board. In this case that “lost and found” label applies to the band as much as the album in question.
Also not surprising: Hey Ma doesn’t need to scream out of the gate with a loud “we’re BACK!” to announce their return. “Bubbles” instead eases in with a quiet rhythm, then soft guitar strums with some barely-there splashes of piano, and takes its leisurely time adding other elements one by one. We get more than halfway through before it truly gets off the ground, building up to a soaring chorus with Booth joyfully shouting “I’m aliiiiiiive” over a trumpet sweeping like a bird in flight. The trip to get there is exactly what makes the payoff feel earned: you couldn’t ask for a better illustration of what James is all about.
Otherwise the album also deals with such fun subjects as heartbreak, violence and making a living in rough times – and even then, the band retains an essentially positive streak and a sincerity that almost always keeps out the schmaltz. The radiant single “Waterfall” starts out with words about getting old and feeling overwhelmed, but it’s really about loving the good important things in life. “Oh My Heart” focuses not on heartbreak itself but the idea of coming out of it stronger than before. The only unsuccessful moment is the title song, whose chorus talks about dead soldiers with a bounciness that’s just perverse. Still, that’s just another example of their approach of trusting the muse wherever it goes. It gets better results with “Whiteboy,” where a sort-of-silly portrait of a sullen young punk gets just the perfect sort-of-silly hyper rambling tune to fit with it, and especially “I Wanna Go Home,” which wraps the disc up with more of that sonic lushness they do so well.
I couldn’t tell you if the wider mainstream world took much notice of this reunion at the time or not, but if these guys were concerned about catering to the masses, they wouldn’t be the James we know and love anyway. They just do what they do. The rest of us are always welcome to enjoy it if we’re willing to come sit down next to the quiet guy for a while.
