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James Flores
Although categorized as a singer/songwriter, the combination of James Flores’s distinctive voice, the stripped-down rawness of his acoustic guitar and honest, introspective lyrics create a unique sound all his own. Unlike many new artists, Flores’s soaring, subtly nuanced voice is not just a compliment to his lyrics and guitar. It’s a necessary ingredient to his sound – its own instrument that Flores elegantly uses to set the tone of his songs and convey a breadth of emotions.
Flores’s voice is perfectly suited to his roots-pop sound. It ranges from deeply soulful on songs like “Words I Don’t Have to Hear” and “Don’t Fall Away” to raw and powerful on “My Fault”. There is an unselfconscious passion with which he projects his voice. This passion helps create a rich, full sound when fused with Flores’s deft guitar-playing.
With his intricate fingerings, Flores’s guitar whispers of the likes Dave Matthews and Lindsey Buckingham. Flores’ sound is so mature and assured it hardly seems possible that he is not only self-taught, but he only began playing in college.
Flores is also not afraid to experiment with sound, as evidenced by the hints of Spanish textures in the haunting “My Fault”. “I listen to a lot of different music: R & B, pop, rock, and many different singer/songwriters. My sound is definitely influenced by all of them,” Flores observes. He flawlessly pairs both simple and complex rhythms that mirror the subjects he explores in his lyrics.
Each song that Flores writes is a tapestry interwoven with truth, redemption, the pain of love and loss, and personal reflection. Like one of the major influences he cites, James Taylor, Flores’s songs also have a timeless quality, but one with a fresh perspective that appeals to a new generation of listeners.
One theme that reappears in many of Flores’s songs is the complexity of relationships. He perfectly captures both their ecstasy and the overwhelming heartache. He understands well the indecision and uncertainty that seem to permeate the affairs of twenty-somethings.
“Background” is a perfect example of his gifted lyrical abilities. Of the song, Flores says, “It's just a hard subject to write about; knowing someone that you know care about doesn’t feel the same way about you. It's really hard to put that into words, but once I created the analogy of being part of someone's background, the song pretty much wrote itself.”
“Background” examines the difficulty and pain associated with this unrequited love. It’s an old theme, but Flores makes it one worth revisiting. His lyrics are simple enough that they can become heartbreakingly personal, but also prescient enough to force you to reexamine your own hopes and interactions.
“Just Isn’t Right” looks back on an unsuccessful relationship with a new perspective. It subtly reminds you how spending time away from someone and experiencing life can make all of the mistakes remarkably clear. And, Flores hopes, easier to remedy.
“My Fault” takes the concept a step further. In a lesson many of us still need to learn, Flores’s lyrics suggest that the listener question why it’s so much easier to place blame for failures than take responsibility for your own shortcomings. The song matches the complex emotions of this self-discovery, ranging from anger to guilt.
And no, not all of Flores’s subjects are dark and woeful. He is able to paint a joyful canvas just as well as a melancholy one. One of the most striking songs he has produced yet, “Words I Don’t Have to Hear” is a beautifully moving testament to the power of love. “It’s about realizing it’s how you care for someone, rather than how many times you tell them,” Flores says. “A few people have told me, ‘That’s the saddest song I’ve ever heard’, but I asked them to listen again – it’s really not sad at all” But that’s what’s so remarkable about many of Flores’s songs - they can take you back to the moment you experienced what he is singing about, taking your emotions along for the ride. What is blissful for some can be a painful reminder for others. He is able to give you a deeper understanding without stripping you of your own awareness.
When asked what lyric reflects his life best, Flores says, “I'm currently working on a song that asks, “What I'm becoming, where I am going, and who I want to be, are they all the same?” In that respect, one thing is certain – Flores is a gifted musician on his way to receiving some much-deserved recognition. |