Customer Reviews

Restless Soul

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"Restless Soul" is The Proclaimers sixth album, and it fares slightly better than 2003's "Born Innocent". I don't think they have matched or surpassed their first three efforts, particularly their 1987 debut. Yet, the identical twins, Craig and Charlie, manage to make a solid album filled with more of their Scottish wit and observations on cheating, relationships, alcoholism, death and domestic violence. Some of my personal favorites are "The One Who Loves You Now", "D.I.Y.", "One More Down", and "That's Better Now". At 14 tracks and about 46 minutes, the brothers could have shaved 2-4 tracks off and it would have been an even better cd. As it stands, The Proclaimers continue to show growth around their folk roots as they expand and add more production to their songs. I just think they were onto something with their stripped down acoustic debut and it would be nice to hear what they could do now with a more pared down approach. "Restless Soul" fits in with 2001's "Persevere" and "Born Innocent". So, if you are, like me, a Proclaimers fan, you will probably enjoy this cd, but if you are new to the duo, I suggest starting with their debut and "Sunshine On Leith" followed by "Hit The Highway".

I'm a huge Proclaimers fan going back to when my friend Robert turned me onto them in 1989 or so. I've noticed that every time they put out a record, at first I'm tempted to call it their worst yet, but every time I listen to it, it gets better.

The Proclaimers have yet to put out a bad effort, but I would put this one in the category of "great" instead of "incredible". It's probably their second worst, behind Hit The Highway. While that may sound like criticism, it's not coming from me. I consider their first two albums, This Is The Story and Sunshine on Leith, along with their 4th and 5th, Persevere and Born Innocent, to be near perfect examples of great songwriting and singing.

The production on this one is a little slick, but after the raw Born Innocent, it's a nice change. The humor is still there, as are the catchy hooks.

In short, pick this one up, and give it 5 or 6 listens before judging it. Soon, you'll be singing along and wanting to see them live, where they really shine! Enjoy.

The Good

The vocals melodies are just stunning on the mid-tempo track "When Love Struck You Down". "Turning Away" has one of those hooks that just sticks in you head for days. The somber and mellow track "That's Better Now" is about that moment just after a sexual encounter with someone you love. It's a simple arrangement of drums, bass, vocal, with minimal guitar and keys.

"He Just Can't" is a poignant track about domestic abuse. The emotionally charged track is more about regret than the act itself. "What I Saw in You" is an acoustic heavy serenade delivered by a man that's still madly in love with his partner after many years. "She's Brighter" honors a woman for her brain rather than her looks. "D.I.Y." swings along like a country line-dancing song

The Bad

The duo's thick Scottish accents tend to push me away, but that's just me.

The Verdict

The Proclaimers aren't just the `one hit wonders' they've been labeled here in the States. After listening to Restless Soul it's evident that they have a knack for catchy, witty, and clever song writing.

The Proclaimers are one of our favorite duos. We eagerly awaited the release of this album, and went to see them on the release tour. They performed a number of songs from this release and we bought the CD immediately. We anticipated that the songs would sound differently live than on the album, but could not help but be a bit disappointed. The songs are well written and the album isn't bad, just over-produced. The vocals and harmonies that are the Reid's best asset are almost overwhelmed by the instrumentals laid down over the top. Previous recordings had an edge - anger, angst, passion, call it what you will - that is lacking in this most recent effort. The passion and edge were there in their live performance but, unlike previous efforts, failed to make the translation to CD.

I own Sunshine and have been to a live show. Incredible, both. I read the comments here and then listened to the samples. I can say that only one or two didn't grab me right off. I agree the production is a bit overdone, but the songs for the most part (well 20 seconds' worth)are great.

PLEASE DO NOT BE PUT OFF THIS PURCHASE BY THE REVIEWS AS I WAS AT FIRST.I DO LIKE THE PROCLAIMERS AND OWN ALL THEIR WORK BUT I FOUND PERSEVERE AND BORN INNOCENT TO HAVE THE GOOD AND THE UGLY,VERY FRUSTRAING.RESTLESS SOUL DOES NOT HAVE ONE SONG ON IT THAT I FEEL SHOULD HAVE BEEN CUT, THEIR FIRST CONSISTANT LP IN YEARS, NO CORNY SONGS THAT SOUND LIKE TV ADD BACKING NUMBERS.GREAT LYRICS WITH FANTASTIC PRODUCTION AND INTERESTING MUSIC.THIS IS THE BEST NEW PURCHASE SINCE I DISCOVERED MARTHA WAINWRIGHT, CANT STOP PLAYING IT, LOVED IT FIRST LISTEN AND CANT GET SICK OF IT.HI PRAISE FROM A VERY CRITICAL REVIEWER.