Customer Reviews

Born in the UK (W/Dvd)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Those who enjoy BDB's lovely piano-based ballades from previous albums will want to check out Born in the UK, which gives a heavy dose of the heavy-hearted piano songs similar to Wildebeast. The lyrics range from the mundane, two lovers going separate paths, to the more provocative--struggling to affirm life in the presence of evil and suffering. If you like this type of music, you might check out the similar crooning from Magnet, Page France, Ronderlin, Midlake, and Radio Dept.

"Born In The U.K." sounds like a return to the more basic ballad style that was the structural strengths of "Hour Of Bewilderbeast" and "About A Boy" without sounding at all like a retread of anything he's done before. It's fitting that an album that involves reflecting on the past would bring Badly Drawn Boy back to his strengths.

Although I really liked "Have You Fed The Fish" and "One Plus One Is One", they didn't remind me of the reasons why I got into Badly Drawn Boy in the first place. Damon Gough's strength is in the sincerity of his voice and the honesty of his melody, but those two qualities seemed buried under heavy production and genre-skipping on "Have You Fed The Fish" and One Plus One"- exuding too much effort on the part of the artist to sound fresh. As eclectic as "Hour Of Bewilderbeast" sounded, there was cohesion of melody and approach- all so effortless yet striking; "About A Boy" was even more solid. That, for me, is the allure of those timeless albums.

Born In The U.K., maintains some of the big production values of the latter two albums, but this time he hasn't entirely allowed his ambitions get the best of his strengths. I'd say there are still a couple of over-produced missteps like Welcome To The Overground with it's cloying chorus singing the entire song, or Walk You Home Tonight gluing itself too closely to the 70's Philly Soul blueprint without bringing something new to it (it still a pretty good song though). But outside of those criticisms, this album is a return to form, and a subtle reminder that an artist can return to his roots without taking a step back.

Some of the highlights to this album are:
Nothing's Gonna Change Your Mind; simple and epic all at once, the plaintive lyrics swirl gradually into hope and joy as the melody builds effortlessly into a final release. Also, straight from Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run song structure, the title song-Born In The U.K., is full of energy and vibrancy. The nostalgia of past and pride of the present- it shows the power of memory. Some of the other strong songs are Without A Kiss, The Long Way Round, Promises, and Degrees of Separation.

I agree strongly with a previous reviewer who said that this album takes more than one or two listens for it to grab you. It does not have the immediacy of his previous albums- the music is subtler and in that subtlety more power, sincerity and maturity than in previous efforts. So check it out, give it the time and it will be a rewarding listen.

While somewhat obscure in the US they have released some great material over the last few years. This continues that trend. While a somewhat more challenging album on first listen, the depth of the songs and growth shown are fantastic. Great album front to back.

This is the best thing I've bought in the last couple of years. I have absolute musical bliss when I listen to it on my ipod. Buy this- especially if you are already a fan- it won't disappoint.

Heard them live so I had to get the CD. Not bad - definitely not Bewilderbeast but has a few great songs.

Damon is an underrated, understated musical composing/performing genius, and our generation is most fortunate to have been bestowed with his wooly and bearded presence.

In a matter of seconds he can shift from causing great amusement with his originality, whit and whimsy, to stirring the deepest of emotions with his sublime effectiveness for describing personal experiences with vivid depictions carved from unexpected lines sung over the most beautiful melodies and warm guitar and piano explorations.

This album here is certainly one of his best, just like the rest of them.

I've been a rabid BDB fan for a long time, and have always felt a huge connection to his music. However, this album's lyrics were appallingly cliched and canned, and the music seemed obvious and boring. I was thoroughly shocked and disappointed. Don't expect the same level of previous work.

Seems a bit more radio-friendly than his other stuff. A bit too "poppy" for me. The songs built as you would expect them, but you don't get the feeling that they really deliver.

This CD is excellent. When I first put it in, it opened with a weird talking track and it made me wonder what I had gotten myself into. But as I listened through, it became apparent to me that this album was a step up from his last effort "One Plus One Is One." I would definitely recommend this one to anybody who enjoys well-written music, and especially anyone who enjoys the piano.

I am Big Badly Drawn Boy fan and this album doesn't dissapoint. Don't listen to critics who make rash judgements after listening to the album 1 or 2 times. This is a great album. I don't think its possible to repeat the same hit songs over and over again with the same impact, this is a greeat album just a little different style than other albums. Badly Drawn Boy is the only artist that I've ever listened where I like every song on every album. Just buy it.