If you didn't see and hear James' StageIt performance this afternoon, you truly missed a great show. Broadcast from StageIt's HQ in Hollywood, the excellent sound and hi def video were off the hook! James performed acoustic versions of favorites from MOABD with a whole new perspective on All I Want, Outcast, Right Behind You and May. Higher Than Heaven was a total revamp and has never sounded better (which is going some, because it was always one of my favorites!). James' musical choices and greatly improved guitar skills made us all remember vividly why America fell in love with this talented young man on Idol - multiplied tenfold with the evolution of his vocals, nuances and maturing style, and the quality of his voice in a wide dynamic range, which was absolutely pitch-perfect across the vast span of octaves he commands. James has grabbed his debut album's foundation songs by the throat and wrung out completely new hit-worthy tracks. We were also treated to a few new numbers slated for the upcoming album, and this writer especially thought Louder Than A Loaded Gun has taken very well indeed to the rewrite James teased us about months ago.
Allow me to make a prediction right now. Album #2 will be not so much a departure from MOABD but a maturing evolution showcasing the musical growth and widening horizons that James Durbin surely sees before him now.
Bravo, and ENCORE!