McAlmont & Butler - 'Bring It Back' (EMI)
3/5
By: Toby L
Following their debut-LP, 'The Sound Of McAlmont & Butler' - released some seven years ago - and alleged feuds between the two, with 'Bring It Back', M & B have returned to music, together.
... But do we really need them anymore? Weren't they always best left as a memory of those two quirky characters that summoned two memorable singles - the quintessential flourishes of 'Yes' and 'You Do' - and a matching debut-album, amidst a flurry of mundane Britpop? Admittedly, their re-emergence could potentially prompt such cynicism - yet the evidence arising from their second, full-length follow-up is that they're as necessary now as they were when they first arrived on the scene, a duo with equally striking pasts (Butler as the guitar-maestro between Suede's early, golden-era, and McAlmont, ex-Thieves' vocalist), and, if they want it, a guaranteed future.
Opening with one of the highlights, the aural-rollercoaster which forms 'Theme From', with sharp advances and nudges into the following top-40 first single-release 'Falling' and potential hit in itself, 'Different Strokes', what's most notable is the fusion of every element under the sun to conjure up 'a timeless recording'; although much of the desired effect is achieved throughout, often, it gets a tad tiresome, almost losing the record's possible harmonious impact due to Butler's largely suffocating, bold production.
Yet, when such balladry as 'Blue' hits the speakers, it's the precise moment that the pair soar, an acoustic guitar beautifully supplementing McAlmont's truly overwhelming falsetto, and mimicking the robust and romantic stripped-down performances that the act recently performed during a sell-out residency in London's Cherry Jam club... It's such a necessary contrast that allows the rest of the matter - including the tender tones of 'Where R U Now?', cheery 'Sunny Boy' and helplessly-pop title-track - to shine, creating a record whose balance between substance and sheer, good quality songwriting is locked within well-defined barriers.
How the twosome will progress forth from now on may remain a mystery, but - unlike many recent comebacks - at least McAlmont & Butler are once again proving their unique, unrivalled worth as perpetrators of the UK's finest alt-soul sound currently in existence.
Artists in this article: McAlmont & Butler
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