http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RKiIg4dCyjY

No young musician should ever have to be put through the wringer by a major label, but that’s exactly what happened to Murray James [Twitter/Facebook] when he was 17. Since then, he’s struggled to figure out the kind of musician he wants to be, but now, at age 22, five years older and wiser, he’s back for more – and it would appear he’s got the blues. They can be heard all over his new single, the aptly-named Blue Today, the video for which is up above.

The song is a stirring and powerful song that comes steeped in personal experience. James’s voice is soulful and impassioned, yet it is imperfect, almost raspy at times. I’m quite sure he knows it, too, but this isn’t to detract from the song; in fact, it only adds to it. The heartfelt lyrics and wonderful melody combine in such a way that the song becomes impossible to ignore. I, for one, am thankful he decided to give things another go.

This time, he wants to go all the way: he is currently working on his debut album with Dan Grech Marguerat, who has produced The Vaccines and Scissor Sisters among others. That should be out before the end of the year, but for now, if you want to hear more, you should investigate his Protect Me EP, which was released last October. The title track is below, and it’s a winner. We haven’t heard the last of him, that’s for sure.