Butch Walker’s second solo album “Letters”, released on Epic Records, seems like a mediocre 80s cover album at first but turns out to be something a little more than that. The intro to “#1 Summer Jam” is Nick Lowe’s “Cruel to be Kind.” “Lights Out” starts off with a beat and energy that pays homage to Cheap Trick. Likewise, “Uncomfortably Numb” seems to be straight out of a Go-Gos reunion tour with its peppy guitar solos and even peppier beats.
“# 1 Summer Jam” and “Maybe It’s Just Me” are good sunny day driving tunes, but lack real lyrical depth. The third song “Mixtape” relates well with anyone who has made or received a mix-tape that depicts the ups and downs of a relationship perfectly, and it produces a memorable melody.
While some of the songs do sound similar, “Joan” is definitely the highpoint of the album with a haunting harmony and mesmerizing violin part. “Promise” holds strong, evocative vocals but doesn’t deliver with lines like, “I can’t blame my father / he gave me my first beer / and he held my head back as I puked it out,” and “I fumbled for a pencil / and my ‘I’m so sorry’ pad / and I wrote until it sprained my stupid brain.”
Just when the listener thinks they’ve heard everything, Walker gives them “Race Cars and Goth Rock” which, with it’s sweet chorus, chipper melody and rhythmic clapping makes it so similar to “A Very Brady Special” that you wonder if you’ve gone back in time. This seems to be the central theme of Letters. Walker finishes up nicely with a strong and graceful piano performance in “Thank You Note” which also gives the listener some solid lyrics to back up the music.
The production and arrangement behind “Letters” is solid, in large part, because Walker has extensive production experience producing many artists, most recently the alternative girl group, The Donnas. “Letters” also represents a large range of instruments including: a violin, congas, an organ, a whistle, turntables and of course your basic drums, guitar and bass.
Walker is a member of the band Marvelous 3 and his first solo album, “Left-of-Centered” was released in 2002 under Arista Records. “Letters” was released in stores August 24 and is worth picking up if you’ve got $13 to spare, if only for the refreshing re-emergence of classic 80s rock. However, it is definitely not a must-have.
-Kayla Walker
