Customer Reviews

The Sound of McAlmont & Butler

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Whilst it isn't a masterpiece, this album contains a wonderful set of songs. The songwriting of Bernard Butler will be well known to anyone familiar with the early Suede albums, and whilst these songs have a different tone from those performed by Suede, he does not let himself down. They are in fact an interesting stopping point on the transition Butler made to becoming a solo artist. The voice of David McAlmont is also the perfect tool that he could have found, and he seems to enjoy pushing it to its limit, much as he did with Brett Anderson. The combination of these two talents produces some truly magical moments. Well worth a listen.

Bernard Butler is the ex-guitarist for the awesome British rock band Suede and an all around guitar wizard and songwriting master. David McAlmont is a British soul singer. The story goes that Bernard was writing a clutch of material after he left Suede and the only person he could envision singing the songs was McAlmont. The duo joined forces and recorded a series of singles and EPs, which are collected here. And the verdict is, wow. This is wonderful late 60's-early 70's flavored soul-pop that is a real treat to listen to. Combining Butler's songwriting and classic guitar style with McAlmont's silky vocals and some great orchestration, this album is really good. The one weak track on here is You'll Lose a Good Thing. However, the standouts are numerous, including Yes, You Do, Disappointment, and The Debitor. Check this one out!

Well, I think this is one of the better albums to come out of the UK in the 90's. Where some of the parklife/be here now monoliths sound a little laboured, this is a lovely burst of spontaneous stuff - great songwriting too. Some of the tracks sound rough, almost like demos, but the addition of Bernard's wild, emotional guitar and some strings, it becomes the real thing - soul. Drawing a nervy line from Mick Ronson to Aretha Franklin, singing songs about heartache, resilience, AIDS, sexual frustration... McAlmont can belt out a hissy stomper and he can also be detached and ironic, like the cool London chappy he is. Butler's axe channels something much bigger than his skinny frame looks capable of. Rockin' and struttin'.

As I'm sure you already know if you are reading this, this is the first album of work that Bernard Butler was involved with after leaving Suede. As disappointed as I was for leaving one of my favorite bands of all time, this release really softened the blow. If you have heard his recent work with The Tears, you can hear a lot of the beginnings of his Phil Spectorish arrangements and stylings in this album that he incorporates in his current work with that band.

If you are thinking of buying this for a Suede redux, you may be disappointed. The two are really apples and oranges. However, David McAlmont provides vocals with a range and dynamic that provides a perfect compliment to Bernard Butler's guitar work. The two of them provide a perfect blend of rock, soul and r&b in this album that excels greatly on its own terms.