No, I think it was pretty openly acknowledged as such at the time, though I had to stop reading his blog because it was putting me off him. Maybe now I've had more time away from it I should give British Ballads another try...
Did you ever download the various other demo tracks from his website? A very mixed bag, but some real gems in there, which make me wonder if maybe he's better when he doesn't know people are watching, so to speak.