• Record Label: Atlantic
  • Release Date: Sep 18, 2007
Metascore
53

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 21
  2. Negative: 3 out of 21
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    Lost improves on the first disc at least five times over, partly because its starker focus might really take you back to...well, certainly not a club, but maybe an AM radio-equipped kid's bedroom circa 1973. [21 Sep 20007, p.80]
  2. Here's a set that suggests rock has got its head screwed on straight again, that the path to real feelings need not necessarily be led by Norah Jones.
  3. He shows the abandon and confidence of a long-term artist, not just a one-hit wonder.
  4. But snobbery apart, this is a terrific album.
  5. It will seduce anybody already won over by his 2005 debut, "Back to Bedlam," since it's a tighter, more assured record than that. But chances are, they were seduced by Blunt already.
  6. Blunt has turned his attention away from his sound hole and his sensitive soul, refocusing his energies on the '70s and unearthing a measure of depth and ingenuity.
  7. There's plenty to scorn on All the Lost Souls; Blunt loves a well-worn phrase, and his attempts at humor can be surprisingly crude. But he's onto something. He's not making background music.
  8. The songs are ridiculously catchy, albeit predictable and overly comfortable in that 70s folk rock vibe he loves so much.
  9. Q Magazine
    60
    A fearsomely efficient follow-up to Back To Bedlam. [Oct 2007, p.92]
  10. Too much of All the Lost Souls is just pleasant ether, with Blunt showing a gift for drabness on forgettable ballads that make Coldplay seem like the Arctic Monkeys.
  11. James Blunt returns with All the Lost Souls, a more piano-driven period piece that's about as edgy as an episode of "Desperate Housewives."
  12. As background music, it slays. In the foreground, however, not so much.
  13. Blunt appears to be following a successful formula a little too mechanically for his own good, as if he's ticking boxes.
  14. Blender
    40
    He devotes himself largely to unremarkable romance chronicles and blandly competent hooks. [Oct 2007, p.107]
  15. 40
    The drawback, as ever, is Blunt’s warbly, whining, strangled voice, which sounds increasingly like a bad Weird Al Yankovic parody.
  16. Mojo
    40
    Much of All The Lost Souls is far more icky-yucky than its predecessor. [Oct 2007, p.90]
  17. He's only gone and come back. And improved, actually: we counted two more hits than "Back To Bedlam." Be very afraid.
  18. While All the Lost Souls will very likely appeal to the exact same folks who made Blunt’s first album a success, I listen to this album and can’t help thinking that this has all been done before-and better!
  19. There are no surprises (other than the lyrics about cutting himself) and nothing all that redeeming to take away from the listen.
  20. It's more of the same on his second album, a collection so bland, it makes hardtack seem sumptuous.
  21. His voice still sounds like it could curdle milk, an anaemic whine with no substance. Song-wise, this is mass-production fodder about which there's very little one can say.
User Score
6.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 98 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 64 out of 98
  2. Negative: 28 out of 98
  1. RobbieC
    Sep 27, 2007
    2
    It sucks.
  2. StefanV
    Feb 21, 2008
    10
    The best, most emotionally-charged album of 2007, and i listened to the one by Radiohead. Some o fhtis stuff is sheer genius (I Really Want The best, most emotionally-charged album of 2007, and i listened to the one by Radiohead. Some o fhtis stuff is sheer genius (I Really Want You and Shine On) and some of the average stuff (Carry You Home and Give Me Some Love) is better than most songs you may hear on the radio. Blunt is very good at using his own life experiences in his songs - just listen to Same Mistake. This is a talent who isn't selling records, at least this album isn't. Meanwhile, every song off of Rhianna's terrible record is hitting #1. Yes, the state of music today is terrible, and James Blunt is one of the few bright spots. Full Review »
  3. Jul 27, 2017
    10
    James Blunt's best album so far. A great evolution after the well-made "Back to Bedlam", that is already an amazing album. "All The LostJames Blunt's best album so far. A great evolution after the well-made "Back to Bedlam", that is already an amazing album. "All The Lost Souls" is a extremely deep, intense, emotional, and nicely executed album. Full Review »