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"I
have to tell you
what's
been going on
since
youve been
gone,
since youve
been
gone,well,
things
theyve
changed
but not
much
for the
better"
"whatever
it was
that
you couldn't stand
about
me...yes I do feel
better,
yes I do, I feel
alright,
I feel well
enough
to tell you
what
you can do, with
what
youve got
to
offer"
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So
hey this is probably the best singer / songwriter
partnership since Morrissey / Marr. Their ownly
album pictured left, is an increadible affair. They
have now split up, if only they could have stayed
together a little longer...doh !
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Well,
unfortunately I do not have a biography for McAlmont and
Butler, so if anyone out there does, please post it to
me.
Basically
Bernard Butler, was the lead guitarist in Suede, however he
left the band, and set up McAlmont and Butler, with David
McAlmont, who together with his formidable voice, and
increadible personality gave the perfect accompliment to
Butlers sublime guitar work.
Here is
the NME Review of the album.
When
David McAlmont (vocals, lyrics) and Bernard Butler (guitars,
keyboards, composition) got together in late 1994, ex- Suede
man Bernard Butler's name was well-known and David
McAlmont's deserved to be. The flamboyant singer has a
thrilling three-octave-plus voice, as sensual as any
human-derived noise had a right to be and his falsetto makes
Mariah Carey sound like Chris Cornell of Soundgarden. David
McAlmont had applied these gifts to a so-so album recorded
under the name Thieves but later released under his own
surname.
Unlike
David McAlmont, Bernard Butler is neither black nor gay, but
he does understand soul music and the big, glamorous,
hipsway statement. The duo's debut single, Yes, was simply
perfect in every way; it throbbed like an early '70s Marc
Bolan/T. Rex number, soared like a sugar- coated Stylistics
track, grooved like Gimme Shelter and sounded, in places, as
if it was about to pass out under the weight of its own
pleasure. The full, five-minute version-which opens this
11-song album-finishes with a round of applause.
Almost as
good, the new single You Do-here in its maximum whack of
seven-and-a-half minutes-is a brown-eyed ballad of
outrageous excellence, with ludicrously audacious singing
from David McAlmont and two long, typically bug-eyed guitar
solos by Bernard Butler, one in each channel.
Sound Of
McAlmont Butler arrives just as the partnership is
dissolving. An 11-tracker comprised of Yes, You Do, the
eight B-sides from their various formats, plus one
unreleased track (The Right Thing), it's a restlessly
diverse 56-minute listen that's understandably overshadowed
by the two singles. There is, as it happens, one other
killer song-Disappointment, where old-style Suede meet a
heavy, Hot Chocolatey soul pulse that soon kicks into a
staccato Jimmy Page-type riff. The rhythm section-Mick
Tedder (bass) and Makoto Sakamoto (drums)-conspire with
their employers to take the roof off.
The rest
is merely good. What's The Excuse This Time? could be
Prince, thanks to David McAlmont's kittenish vocals. The
Right Thing, with Bernard Butler back on slide guitar, is a
late- '60s blues rock jam session. There's a doo-wop waltz
called Although and a pretty hoary old raunch-up entitled
Debitor.
The end
of the McAlmont & Butler partnership was rumoured to
have come recently, abruptly and sourly. In fact, all of
these songs were recorded in one long burst several months
ago, as was the agreement. The pair are currently promoting
You Do and may-oh, let's hope so-work together again one
day.
Q Rating:
4 Stars (out of 5)
Reviewed
By: David Cavanagh
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