Live music: James Blunt

Vicar Street, Dublin

The internet can destroy reputations but it can make them too. A case in point is James Blunt, whose wry, witty Twitter feed has disarmed those inclined to write him off as a guitar-abusing, soft-pop Beelzebub.

At a sold out Vicar Street, he displays the same light-footed humour, dropping self-deprecating asides and dedicating his biggest hit, ‘You’re Beautiful’, to one of the ink-stained scribes along to review the show.

Yet so many people bought it, bought it. RT @yanto1973: That James Blunt song is utterly horrific, horrific.

— James Blunt (@JamesBlunt) February 7, 2014

One thing that hasn’t changed is Blunt’s music. Now on his third album, the former British army officer remains irrepressibly slushy, with songs that work hard at connecting the dots between Westlife and one of those ardent strummers that occasionally wins X Factor. His repertoire is relentlessly mid-tempo and of a distinctly Mills and Boon flavour. He’s either falling in love (‘You’re Beautiful’), wrestling with heartache (‘Goodbye My Lover’) or pleading to be taken seriously as a romantic interest (‘Stay The Night’).

That is not to say the performance is indigestible. Rather it is frothy and feel-good, with a glossiness that can be testing if you’re not in the mood. Still, as a composer he’s absolutely solid — you can protest the chintzy sentiments of ‘1973’ or recent single ‘Bonfire Heart’ but it’s hard to criticise them simply for what they are: shiny power ballads in the vein of Bryan Adams or Ronan Keating.

The last time Blunt played Ireland, the venue was a packed RDS. His audience has perhaps become more selective but he doesn’t seem too troubled.

In interviews Blunt has always stressed he never craved global fame and was surprised when it came knocking. Nearly a decade on from ‘You’re Beautiful’ he is a mid-scale troubadour who can make a decent living from travelling the world, singing his songs. He has, you suspect, never been happier.