Customer Reviews

And So Here...

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

 

 

Not David Gray so much, he's too "we're grown up now"...think the first time you walked into your junior high dance. It's 1986, there are streamers and somehow dimmed lights where the basketball backboards usually were. All those things you thought romance was going to be, wrapped up in a series of dramatic gestures which would instantly tell your beloved everything she needed to know (or he, or course) all to a backbeat of "Take My Breath Away" or "Just Like Heaven", it's like he still remembers those dramatic gestures we were all going to make, and he's got enough voice where he doesn't have to giggle about them.

The man can sing. And there's some non-derivitive top 40 sensibilities mixed in with a little bit of worldly-knowledge. What else could you ask for?

It beats Coldplay. Think Future Bible Heroes, with a little bit more on his sleeve.

I got this CD a few weeks ago and was blown away by it. It is filled with really great songs and Bill's voice is very soothing and catchy. I love this album and can't get it out of my CD player. Highly recommended.

Bill Budd's picture doesn't even appear on the cryptic cover of his debut CD, "And So Here...", nor does his face appear on the artwork on the CD's insert. Why? Maybe the singer-songwriter wanted to be judged only by the merits of his music, bringing his voice and lyrics rather than his youthful looks to the forefront. Not many artists would have the nerve to do this unless they had the talent and confidence to back it up. But immediately with "And So Here...", the CD's title track, the listener is seduced by Bill Budd's distinctive brand of pop music, a thoughtful, mutli-dimensional synergy of 80's-style new wave, folk, and electronica. It's low on pretense, high on emotion. And although Bill Budd's voice is bathed with sophisticated and high-tech-- yet light-as-air-- electronic effects throughout the CD, the real calling card here is Budd's gifted vocals and lyrics. Very rarely do we get to hear a voice as unblemished and as full of wide-eyed awe and innocence as Mr. Budd's. Then, there's the lyrics on "And So Here...". Even though Budd himself has declared that fictitious themes play an important role in his debut CD, his words lead the listener to believe that the people, places, and situations that he sings about are based-- at least in part-- on real experiences. The juxtaposition of Budd's youthful voice, with the sophistication and maturity of his lyrics and subject matters of which he sings, results in a truly unique-- and often exhilirating-- effect. Indeed, "Trying Here", "Un-Me", and "Again" deserve to become classics in the new face of indie pop. "Tim", the second track, makes a truly sincere love song. On the third track, "Empty Day", the first few beats lead the listener to think that we're about to hear a remake of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors"-- but Budd proceeds to deliver an even more emotionally powerful ballad. ("So maybe I bruised your ego; That's not what I intended to do; You think that I could change our future; Even though you feel alone when I'm with you.") The CD reaches its first zenith with "Trying Here", a delightful, upbeat love song written by Drae Campbell which may become Bill Budd's most emblematic track. So rarely has playful love been expressed so vividly as when Budd proclaims,"I like it when you brush up behind me; When your arms go around my waist, I like it even more; I like it best when you let your eyes rest upon me." Making his voice the star of the next track, Budd adopts an appropriately moody, more haunting tone for "Your Shadow". With lyrics like "Not even earthquakes could swallow your pride...", the fictional story is about one man's attempt to rebuild a city after a natural disaster. Accompanied by the sound effects of thunder and a prominent piano in the background, he continues to showcase his voice-- and his widest range yet-- with the following track, "More". With a yearning, soulful delivery, the result is the most delicately beautiful song on the CD.



Mr. Budd returns to a more upbeat sound with "Un-me", a high-energy song presumably about pride, self-empowerment and moving on which builds up in intensity to no less than a truly triumphant climax, with lyrics like "I drink a toast to myself babe, 'cause I'm gonna be alright; I drink a toast to myself babe 'cause I am givin' up this fight. (I'm sayin') This is the last time you'll ever see the 'un-me'; This was the last time I'll ever be the 'un-me'". The catchy track seems like a hybrid of "I'm Coming Out" and "I Will Survive" for the new generation of youthquakers. Budd experiments with exotic melodies and sounds in the background of "Again", a love song about reviving a relationship by trying new things and making plans for the future: "We'll take the train to India; and watch the world unfurl before our eyes; and search the love in the sand and sky; Let the stars hold our thoughts until the sunrise...". "Again" is another standout on the CD. With the ninth track, "Everything", the CD sadly ends all too quickly, and we're left with the same wide-eyed yearning and awe that Bill Budd expresses so well in his debut recording. But we're also left with the feeling that with the energy and musical skill that Bill Budd gives us with "And So Here...", the best is truly yet to come from this young star.

It is a crying shame that artists like Bill Budd don't get air play. The music, lyrics and voice are emotional and powerful. His lyrics are inspired and he in turn does the same for the listener. I feel haunted each time I listen to "And So Here." It just takes talent to be able to take the listener to a higher plain. Sorry it that sounds hokey but it is true. Made my spirit move! Incredible! I became a fan instantly!

I don't know if this counts cause I know him, but I always thought Bill had an amazing voice. The range of Freddy Mercury! It sends chills, believe...
Get the album and then see him live. It's worth it! He is very talented and he's doing it all on his own! I especially love the song 'Again' on this album.
He is creating a new style of fabulous music and the Annie, Cyndi, Rickie Lee influence is apparent.