ritish wonder boy James Blunt’s debut album “Back to Bedlam” has been met with huge success, garnering him number one spot on the UK charts. “You're Beautiful” - an acoustic mix of heartache and yearning, spent five weeks at No. 1. On top of it all, he just won two Brit Awards - the UK counterpart to the Grammys.

Blunt threatens to follow a similar trajectory here; while his Bedlam is still a fixture on the charts and a sold-out North American tour is now in full gear, Blunt’s good-looks and modest-ness makes him highly marketable. But, while the rise has been quick, Blunt has endured his own struggle to forge an identity separate from consumer pop.

He knew even at a young age that his life was to be about music, a plan that would later be shelved by a four-year period in the army; after graduating from Bristol University, he continued his father's (and grandfather's) footsteps into the force. He patrolled the streets of Kosovo as a peacekeeper and was even promoted to captain. As captain, he was in charge of leading 30,000 troops into Pristina.

When he was discharged in 2002, he kicked into high musical gear, playing London's small venues and even started on recording a demo. This would lead him to Elton John's management and giving him the opening slot on John’s tour. After catching him at a 2003 South by Southwest showcase in Austin, Blunt caught the attention of songwriter/producer Linda Perry (Christina Aguilera, Pink), who quickly signed him to her own Custard label.

At that point, things moved quickly for Blunt, as he and producer Tom Rothrock (Elliott Smith, Badly Drawn Boy, Beck) put together Back to Bedlam on a tiny budget. Funds were drying up, so Blunt spent a few months staying at Carrie Fisher's home. He even recorded Goodbye My Lover in her piano-equipped bathroom.

The floppy haired ex-Army captain is far-removed from his days in the military, but he's certainly enjoying his time in the spotlight. His material has been praised and disparaged, one critic famously called Bedlam “music for bored housewives.” And even songwriter Matt Nathanson, as noted on his blog, called You’re Beautiful “the latest winner of Playschool’s ‘my first song’ contest.”

In Bedlam’s “Out of My Mind”, a tidy, little number from Bedlam, Blunt dishes out a surprisingly lyrical piece with lines like “we all need a pantomime to remind us what’s real.” But later drops the subtlety and throws out “I’m a puppet, not a whore.” Perhaps indicating that, regardless of the effort, he may never be truly authentic, but while also crooning that he is much more than a mere product of the musical meat market. - S.W.