Leap

"James Bay couldn't be more unhip if he had pelvic removal surgery. He is so middle of the road that he could be a cat's eye. Everything about him is old before his time - he was inspired to pick up a guitar by hearing "Layla", he sings in a husky transatlantic semi-Celtic voice, he exists in a continuum of soft rock that runs from the start of AOR through U2, David Gray and the Coldplay imitation explosion of the 00s through to Ed Sheeran and Louis Capaldi. And he is also very, very, very good at doing what he does indeed".

Read review

"Når X Factor live-shows ruller over skærmen et eller andet sted i verden - så er sangudvalget i hvert fald blevet et album tykkere. Laktoseintolerante vil dog nok blive sendt direkte til udpumpning".

Read review

"Musically, Leap is very much a return to those breakout acoustic campfire songs, with the swaying `Right Now' and the thundering `One Life' set to soundtrack many a first dance. However, the comfort of the known seems to have inspired Bay to push his songwriting to more vulnerable, honest places. Sure, he's always been an emotional force tapping into wildly relatable topics such as loss and heartbreak, but contentment is a tricker beast to make sound exciting - just ask Ed Sheeran or Justin Bieber. Yet Bay achieves it time and time again".

Read review