It was great to see them play some real music on Top of the Pops (9th Aug '02)
But is the new album from McAlmont & Butler any good?
The answer is as unqualiried as their first singler 'YES'.
Seven years after spliting, and having both pursued very average solo careers in the interim,
McAlmont and Butler are back. The record they've delivered is the most uplifting album release
in many years. It contains some untouchable tunes that manage to be not only pop but also real and soulful.
Which is increasingly rare in this pop-idol dominated music scene today. While the contrived boyband/girlgroup
thing dominates the charts and latest stadium pretenders Coldplay are suffering a rush of blood to the head M&B
have foregone 11Sept/WWIII paranoia. The result is this year's summer album. David and Bernard deliver a set of
songs and performances that Chris Martin and co, Travis, Sterophonics, et al have no hope of ever matching.
Anyone who knows anything about the duo will know that David McAlmont is one of the most distinctive vocalists
alive whose falsetto is a thing of wonder. Those who've followed the fortunes of Bernard Butler are aware that
not only is he the greatest guitarist of his generation but an exceptional producer and arranger (he also plays
all the piano, bass and harmonica on the record).
But while McAlmont's solo career suffered from stock r'n'b tunes generically produced, Butler's Wall of Sound sounded
hollow without the presence of a real singer. However, thanks to good sense on both their parts we now have the
wonderful reunion collection "Bring It Back". Its the sound of perfect marriage of super talents with superior
tunes that makes this album very special.
The record opens with 'The Theme from McAlmont and Butler' which is a wicked riff and strings fest that has definely
got the funk and just takes over your ears. Great engineering and additional production would make Missy Elliott proud.
'Falling', the lead single, is, as anyone who has heard (or saw them on TOTP), obviously a work of genius. In the vein
of their most famous outing 'Yes', Phil Spector would be proud.
After that we encounter the heart of the album which sounds like a paen to summer.
McAlmont's lyrical concerns range from stardom ('Different Strokes' and 'Can We Make it',
'Where Are You Now') to the need to make the best of things ( 'Bring It Back') onto the need for freedom
(Make It Right, Beat). Sonically the album is more 'Black' sounding than the debut, Soul, Funk and Motown
sounds dominating, but Bulter's brillant guitar never too far away. Its also a more radio friendly than the
first album. This might be a bad thing, if it was overly contrived, but 'Bring It Back' never sounds less
than sincere.
Its a collection thats close to perfect but slips up on the penultimate track 'Make the Right Decision'
which is a flawless performance of an exceptionally ordinary song - its just boirng. They should have
shelved it a put on another song in the vein of 'Falling' or 'Can We Make It'. Things right themselves
with the closer 'Beat' which is a perfect curtain closer. Reminiscent of 'The Next Life' from Suede's first
album guitars and vocals build to a great crescendo. And that it: 44 minutes of almost total class.
"Bring It Back" is a wonderfully optimistic sounding record. Its much more cohesive than the first record.
This is a set of real pop songs,( which I for one thought had gone the way of the Dodo) some of which are modern
classics. We haven't had a summer in Cork this year but "Bring It Back" is the aural sunshine we needed, guaranted
to put a smile on your face. Buy it and soak in an eternal summer.
Wonderland
