Human Overboard – James and the Shame

By: Rosie Chappell

James and the Shame is a new country musician that released his first single in July
2022. You might recognize him as Rhett McLaughlin from internet sensations Rhett and
Link. James and the Shame currently has 81,170 monthly listeners on Spotify. His new
album, Human Overboard, came out September 23, 2022. The album has a total of 11
tracks and has a running time of 40 minutes and 46 seconds.

Opening the album and one of my favorite tracks is “Believe Me.” The track is about
McLaughlin’s own deconstruction of religion and recalls when he told his family about
his deconstruction. With the relatable content and the amazing guitar, this song is
constantly on my mind.

My absolute favorite of this album is “Give a Damn.” The classic guitar in this just strikes
something in me. Plus I love the vocal range he shows off in it.

“Kill a Man” is also a really great song. I like how his deeper vocal range in this
contrasts to his falsetto in “Believe Me.” Plus this song is just so smooth and
meaningful.

One of my other favorites is “Where We’re Going.” In this song, McLaughlin has a duet
with his wife, Jessie. This song talks about how they moved to California and how as
long as they are together, they do not care where they go in life. I also think this could
be a really cute first dance song.

Overall, I think this is a fantastic album! I’m not really big on country but I totally vibed
with this. Plus you can tell how much this album means to him. I can’t wait for the next
album!

Favorite Tracks: “Give a Damn,” “Believe Me,” “Where We’re Going”
Rating: 8.5/10