Brendan James is the self-titled second studio album by American singer-songwriter Brendan James, released on September 7, 2010. Brendan made his first-ever appearance on Billboard 200 after debuting at #93 on the chart, with the strong sales in digital, the self-titled album also broke into the Digital Albums chart at #21. Background Some artists name an album after themselves because they are stumped for another title. Brendan James grins at this suggestion. "As a fellow musician, I definitely get that," Brendan says, "but I actually had a good reason to do it. The album is self-titled because I feel like it’s my first recording that really showcases the different sides of me as a musician. It’s got everything from the mellow to the upbeat, to the somber to the unashamedly positive. My friends know me as the guy who loves to jump in the middle of a pick-up basketball game, but they also know me as the guy who needs to be reminded to stop spiraling when I start thinking about something too deeply. I have a lot of different sides and I wanted to make sure my music reflected that." Production A singer-songwriter who accompanies himself on piano, James began writing the songs on his second album after winding up a year and a half on the road in support of his debut album The Day Is Brave, which was released by Decca Records in June 2008 and debuted in the Top 10 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Several of its songs were featured on various television shows including Private Practice, Bones, So You Think You Can Dance, and Army Wives. After releasing the album, James hit the ground running to support it from coast to coast. "I went to 40 states, ate at 330 restaurants, stayed in 210 hotels, and slept on one boat – John Mayer’s Mayercraft Cruise; I know because I wrote it all down," James says with a laugh. The 18-month tour enabled James (whom Entertainment Weekly has called "A Songwriter on the Rise") to build his fanbase the way many successful musicians have done before him: one room at a time, and he shares the fruits of that journey – renewed vigor, musical maturity, and even a new sound – on his second album. Music and lyrics James and his producer Warren Huart (The Fray, Howie Day, Augustana) have emerged with an album that keeps