Medieval’ is as lyrically unforgiving as ever, but ‘Hymn From A Village’ is one of the real showstoppers on this side. It’s fun, punchy, upbeat and relentless.

And let’s not forget about “ Sit Down,” one of James’ most popular songs. Joe Duddell’s version of the song is a testament to his talent for transforming music into something new and exciting. With layer upon layer of strings, the song has a deep richness that elevates it to a different level. It’s a song about connection and reassurance that you are never alone, and with Duddell’s arrangement, it speaks to a wider audience and resonates on a deeper level. I cannot stop listening to this album. The themes covered – such as war, climate change and death are at total odds with the beauty of the songs and the music, with the emotions and feelings of these new versions intensified ten fold by the orchestra and choir. By working once again (and this time recording with) Joe Duddell, James have given themselves and their fans the opportunity to make new musical memories whilst revisiting old ones. There are so many layers and details to these songs and I am still discovering more after numerous listens. My advice is to shut yourself away, pop on some headphones and lose yourself in the pure musical magic – let yourself be Opened By The Wonderful. A delightful album, full emotive recording via the orchestral arrangement. Pressing is dead flat, very little surface noise on either vinyl, maybe a tad more noticed on Side B but a couple of cleans and it's barely evident.

Sometimes (Orchestral)

Moving On was written by Tim after losing his mother and close friend within months of each other. Tim has described his mother dying in his arms as a beautiful experience. Of grief he says it “is an expression of how much you love that person. I embrace grief and it is a medal of love”. The feeling of love and grief and the outpouring of emotion in this version is heightened by the slower pace of the song, the soaring strings and the amazing chemistry and harmonies between Tim and Chloe’s voices. This added beauty reinforcing Tim’s view on death. a b Royle, Natalie (4 June 2023). "James: Be Opened by the Wonderful – album review". Louder Than War . Retrieved 22 June 2023.

No album seems to be left unturned,. Whiplash offers up one of their most instantly recognisable tunes, ‘She’s A Star’. Here, the string work on is captivating and the simplicity is beautiful – again, it demonstartes how well Booth’s voice has held up over the years. Tim performs Sit Down with Coldplay at two nights of their Music Of The Spheres tour at a sold-out Etihad ... more We are coming up to that time of year when the beautiful and distinctive voice of Kirsty MacColl will be blasting out in bars and shops and being played regularly on radio and TV music […]Hymn From A Village` has a similar pace and recalls its funky texture with added strings on this possible dig at the superficial music around at the time of its composition.A plea for somebody to open up gains a deeper emotional quality on `Say Something`.A hint a somebody struggling with substance abuse is maybe hinted at andthefrustration felt is almost tangible in the vocal delivery. TH ANNIVERSARY DOUBLE ALBUM OF GREATEST HITS AND FAN FAVOURITES REIMAGINED WITH ORCHESTRA AND CHOIR Disc 2: Someone’s Got It In For Me / Hey Ma / Hello / Beautiful Beaches / Why So Close / Medieval / Hymn From A Village / Say Something / Top Of The World / Moving On / Laid Lookaway` is fairly ethereal but speeds up while remaining fairly dreamlike. From the intro, you wouldn`t guess that `Sit Down` was one of the bands most famous signature songs but it was always gonna sound unusual as you`ve known the standard for over thirty years. A re-imagining that i`m sure I’ll come to love as I did the original.