Anyone who knows me knows what a big Everything But the Girl fan I am. This of course means that I'm inclined to want to really like this album from Ben Watt. Watt has always impressed me with his ability to produce music that feels right in its time. Not just what he did with Everything But the Girl, but also the work he did as a DJ. Back in 1983 at the age of 21 Watt put out his first solo album called North Marine Drive. It is a very stripped down singer songwriter acoustic album. Since that time he and Tracey Thorn have experimented with everything from jazz, to acoustic, to post punk, to electronic dance. I was then quite surprised that when it came to producing Hendra he went back to his early album for inspiration. In many ways this new album sounds like a more mature and electric version of North Marine Drive. It took me a few listens of the album to warm up to it, but in the end I find it to be an interesting album. Problem is it's not an album that I find myself drawn back to. In part it is because of the production. The guitar in many cases overwhelms his vocals and so there is an odd imbalance to the album that just doesn't work for me.
Still if you are a big fan of these guys like me this is a good addition to your collection.
Following the Rhapsody rating method I give it 2 out of 5 stars for Not Bad.
I loved this video. I thought that looked like an excellent way to spend a working day. Of course, he didn't appear to have to deal with any crime, and we didn't get much indication of how financially profitable a day it was. Also, I learned that Cottonelle, in the UK, is branded as "Andrex" and that the "Andrex Puppy" is a big deal.
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