john bonham of led zeppelin described nicky james as "an incredible singer . . . he could sing any style . . . [and] he had a big following." bev bevan of elo recalled his first encounter with james: "a tall, skinny, good-looking guy with a mop of brylcreemed black hair, swept back teddy boy style . . . he launched into elvis presley's one night with you. he was sensational." "nme" described james as displaying a "perfected vocal technique that melded the blues with prevalent beat pop tendencies."