It hasn't been easy for UK guitar guru Bernard Butler. In the mid-90s, he walked out on the supergroup the London Suede. Then his two proceeding projects splintered --a one-album soul-pop duo called McAlmont & Butler and a weeklong stint in the Verve. At his wife's urging, however, Butler grabbed the microphone and flew solo. The textures on his debut vary from seductively soft ("You Light the Fire") to Phil Spector-clanging ("Not Alone," "You Just Know"), but each cut gleams with heartfelt emotion and, of course, Butler's trademark flowery flourishes. This represents a comeback that few expected.--Tom Lanham
|
