"Walker makes some more modest hits" by Give It a Spin | Local news, sports, weather, blogs, opinion, crime, obituaries, business, directory, marketplace, education, high school, family, shopping, arts, entertainment, movies, books, cooking, auto, real estate, jobs, classifieds, photos, videos, comics, contests, and mountain pass webcams from Wenatchee, East Wenatchee, Chelan, Leavenworth, Waterville, Cashmere, Quincy, Entiat, North Central Washington newspaper

Walker makes some more modest hits

Blog: Give It a Spin

February 26, 2010

As a producer, Butch Walker has put out pop albums that often manage to appeal to the non-pop fan (Pete Yorn's "musicforthemorningafter," Lindsay Lohan's "A Little More Personal"), and undertaken pop stars who claim ambivalence about being pop stars (Pink, Avril Lavigne). So, as a musician, it's only natural that he might come across as unassuming — which is what his latest album, "I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart," (with backing band the Black Widows) confirms.

He mainly delves into an alt-country sound on the new release, with some soft-spoken folk on "Don't You Think Someone Should Take You Home" and a little Americana (and some cute humor) on "She Likes Hair Bands." There are also some detours into doo-wop on "Pretty Melody" and "They Don't Know What We Know" that are especially poignant elements of the record. "Stripped Down Version" stands out as an odd but welcome fit with the musicality of the Wallflowers and a slight Fountains of Wayne undercurrent.

Some songs create dull moments on the album, such as opening track "Trash Day" and "Temporary Title," which appears closer to the middle. However, those instances are decently outweighed by the pleasant melodies and hooks of the remainder.

Want to comment on this story? All Wenatchee World members are invited to comment on stories, by using the form below. Please know that we at wenatcheeworld.com hope our site is useful, entertaining and civil. So we'll delete comments that are obscene, abusive or way off topic. We appreciate it when readers use the "suggest removal" button to flag inappropriate comments. For more about interacting with the site, see our Use Policy.

BLOGS