First Time Flyers: 
'Coming Home' Review

 

His self-titled debut arrives at an interesting point in his career. The social media success of Water at a Wedding has introduced James to a much wider audience, but there's considerably more to discover across these 14 tracks than the curiosity surrounding the chaos of a shotgun wedding love triangle.

Opening with Who Broke Up With You, however, isn't quite the strongest introduction. It's upbeat enough, but arguably the weakest offering on the record. There's a slight shade of misogyny to the lyrics that feels unnecessary when James has demonstrated elsewhere just how good a storyteller he can be. In fact, Things That I Can't Change, featuring Cole Swindell, would have made a far stronger opener. “Things that I can't change are changing me” is an honest, raw and reflective sentiment, with a stripped-back arrangement giving both voices room to breathe and allowing the songwriting to really shine.

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It's that kind of emotional honesty where James really finds his feet. Water at

a Wedding might be the song that put him on the map as a singer in his own right, with its clever twist on the shotgun wedding trope and the brilliantly provocative “Daddy's shotgun and your mama's pearls” lyric. It's practically engineered for social media curiosity, and the campaign surrounding it did exactly what it needed to do. But there's a danger in letting the clickbait become the whole story.

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Fortunately, there's plenty more here to get stuck into. Tennessee You Again is arguably my favourite track on the album. Part love letter to his home state, part fleeting romance, James paints a wonderfully relatable picture of meeting someone who might only be in your orbit for a few days but somehow leaves a lasting impression. It's an earnest, uncomplicated love song that feels particularly natural to him, and a sound I'd love to hear him explore more.

Sunrise is another highlight, albeit with a little more heartbreak. It's the familiar predicament of wanting to give somebody everything when all they seem to want is somebody to get them through the night. The contrast between wanting to build a future together and being left alone as the girl rides off wearing one of his T-shirts as the sun comes up makes for some genuinely lovely songwriting. Heartbreak country is the best kind of country after all, just sayin'.

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There's a welcome change of pace with Ain't Thinkin' Bout You, which leans further into an R&B-influenced sound. It's not a bad song, but feels more radio-friendly than the earnestness of the preceding tracks. Thankfully, Night In Shining Armour brings the fun back, with a catchy melody and playful take on fairytale romance in the situationship era. Meanwhile, Pullin' From A Bottle delivers another standout, pairing a country heartbreak piano ballad with a kick drum that gives its choruses some real lift. “She's pushin' me away so I'm pullin' from a bottle, piling on pain that I'll feel tomorrow” is exactly the sort of sweet spot lyric James does so so well.

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There's an interesting thread running through Truck Stop, Good Run and the three-part Water at a Wedding story. The former flips the usual restless-country narrative, finding somebody who makes him want to stop driving away, while Good Run looks back with the hindsight of someone who let a good thing slip through his fingers. Give Me A Second (The Before) and Hold It Down (The After Demo) then bookend the original wedding story with a little more emotional context. Gabriella Rose's appearance on Water at a Wedding (Her Side) is a clever addition, although her four-line contribution feels like a missed opportunity to give the other side of the story a little more substance.