American-born, Australian-raised John Butler has already conquered
the only continent that is also an island with his salmagundi of
reggae, blues riffs, Appalachian bluegrass, and legendary live guitar
freeform experimentation, but now he’s got his grubby, hippy
sights set on us Yanks too.
With Sunrise Over Sea, Butler brings in a new cast to fill
out his revolving trio, including bassist Shannon Birchall and brother-in-law
Nicky Bomba, whose drums are so solid they sometimes show up Butler’s
lyrics and guitar. Together, they create a sound that is unquestionably
more at home on the stage than in a recording studio, which explains
some of the sterility of the songs. However, even without a spotlight
or five on his dreadlocks, scrubby face, and daggy clothes, Butler
and company still manage to infuse something into their work that
will wheedle its way into your soul.
The only other thing that mars the effort is Butler’s habit
of pontificating and whinging, which is Australian for “bitching.”
From his soapbox, he takes on evil corporations in “Damned
to Hell” and hollers for environmental justice on tracks like
“Treat Yo Mama” and “There’ll Come a Time.”
While there’s no questioning the bloke’s passions or
priorities, the way he goes about it lacks subtlety and poetry;
he prefers to bludgeon a listener over the head, even guilt him
into agreeing with him, rather than inspire him through the creative
marriage of subject and art.
The
album’s success isn’t entirely impeded by the lyrical
content of these numbers, which, thanks to the musicianship involved,
overcome subject matter. There are soulful numbers here too, like
“Zebra,” a catchy reggae-pop song laden with hooks,
but for a touch of the sublime, check out “Seeing Angels”
and “Peaches & Cream.” Both pay homage to his wife
and young daughter. The eleven-minute epic “Sometimes”
closes out the album solidly, hinting at the lengthy tracks that
have populated other albums and the musical free-for-all that is
a trademark of the John Butler Trio’s live shows.
Left-wing sermonizing aside, Butler is a remarkable talent whose
success in the States will likely be found on the tour circuit,
where word of mouth will bring in crowds to marvel at what he and
his mob can do with a few instruments, liters of sweat, and heaps
of bloody talent. The new album is at its worst moving and at its
best divine, but it’s the true lovers of music that will jump
at it. Unfortunately, there’s just not enough of those around
these days.—Cole Haddon
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