John Butler is one of those names I’ve already heard float around a lot but never really knew where to place. Thanks to his new album “April Uprising” I finally got a chance to get to know the man’s music. With two thirds of Butler’s trio replaced, it’s logical that things sound different this time around. This might be a negative for longtime fans due to what has been referred to as ‘a more commercial sound’, but it didn’t bother me.
“April Uprising” starts off with “Revolution”, a brooding song that goes into a catchy chorus with lyrics about fire and flames and hatred. Next up is “One Way Road” which is a little more bouncy. By now the man’s voice has reminded me more than once of Dave Matthews but seeing as that’s not necessarily a bad thing, I keep on going.
“I’d Do Anything” on the other hand sounds like John Frusciante had a guitar riff to spare with Incubus’ Brandon Boyd singing over it. Not a bad song, it’s just that I’ve already heard it about ten years ago. Bongos and banjos are brought into play at the beginning of “Ragged Mile”, one of the album’s best songs. Other than that Butler switches from funk to rock and blues with the same ease that he trades in upbeat tracks to mellow songs.
Having listened to “April Uprising” a couple of times now, I’m still not entirely convinced. It’s a solid album and I like listening to it and all… but it breezes by a little too lightly in orde for it to be truly convincing.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
http://www.warnermusic.com
http://www.johnbutlertrio.com
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