James Blunt was the most successful solo artist in 2005, and it seems his massive success could well be his downfall this year - with the first sign of a backlash coming from a radio station in the South East.
Essex FM have taken the dramatic step this month of banning the MOR pop singer from their listings, after receiving scores of complaints from bored listeners.
"The number of specific comments about James Blunt were more than we have ever seen for one particular artist," program controller Chris Cotton said in explaining the station's Blunt ban. "It was quite staggering. People said, 'Can you get rid of him?' 'Can you ban him?' Even people who say they are fans of his songs go on to express that they're sick of it.
"We don't have anything against James Blunt and we're pleased he has been so successful, but we really need a break."
The tracks in question that have been pulled are his former No. 1 "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover", although Blunt hasn't let the criticism pass him by, stating at last week's Ivor Novello Awards, "To all those bastards who don't like my music -- you're all adults, you can switch your radio off.
