the spotlight on James’ emotionally resonant voice and expressive piano playing. "First and foremost, it was important to me that the vocals and piano were up front," James says. "Warren made sure that was his first priority. When it comes to the recording process, he’s a traditionalist, which is important to me because though I want my albums to sound current, I also want them to stay true to who I am as an artist?" "Aiding in delivering James' maturation as both writer and performer is producer Warren Huart (The Fray, Howie Day, Augustana), a skilled collaborator who obviously has a special gift in assembling uptempo mainstream pop tracks for mass consumption without sacrificing the earnest and serious-minded artistic center of each." —Direct Current Music Promotion James scores his national TV debut on CBS Saturday's Second Cup Café September 25 and is scheduled to tape a performance on The Rachel Ray Show in October To coincide with the album release, Brendan continues his stint on the road with supporting popular pop band Parachute, John Legend and Grammy-winning singer Paula Cole, he will also co-headline concerts with Jason Reeves. Critical reception The self-titled album has earned advance critical praises and positive reviews from most music critics. "Finding that special not-too-sweet spot that lingers somewhere between hook-heavy, radio-friendly pop anthems and the art of critically credible, personal songwriting, Brendan James exudes a gracefully assured ease." "James' distinctly detached vocal delivery actually keeps the grander moments here in check, subtle cool shadings that keep the focus on the classic pop/rock melodies that burrow quickly into the subconscious. Highly recommended." —Direct Current Music "If David Gray's "Babylon" burned a hole in your CD player, tune in to James's rich, vibrato-tinged croon, which straddles postadolescent ardor and grown-up love on his self-titled disc." —The Oprah Magazine Andrew Leahey from Allmusic also gave the album a good review, saying "Produced by the same man who recorded The Fray's first two albums, the serf-titled Brendan James is full of pleasant piano pop, with nary an out-of-place note or flubbed chord in attendance. James is a natural assimilator, and both his songwriting and vocal delivery reference the likes of David Gray, James Taylor, and Coldplay. The result is a slick, lush album that splits the difference between adult contemporary and the sort of PG-rated pop that OneRepublic creates, with light electronics and computerized blips-and-bloops adding texture to the