Richard Butler
Released way back in 1980, thefirst recordfrom the Psychedelic Furs was a blunt and beautiful thing. Its punk fascinations were subverted by solid musicianship and a lead singer whose sandpaper growl couldn't cover up the Bowie-esque sweetness in his tone. Through the '80s and '90s, as the Furs broke up and he re-emerged with Love Spit Love, Richard Butler kept that growl. But the sweetness was getting more prominent. Butler finally smoothes out entirely and becomes the crooner he always threatened to be here on his debut solo CD. Nearing 50, his voice sounds clean and easy as he opens the record with a deft falsetto over the soft, adult alternative bounce of "Good Days, Bad Days." The entire record is well-produced--maybe a little over-produced, even--but it's also cut with a disarming electronic edge; check out the digital spit-and-polish on Postal Service-lite tracks like "California." Butler's lyrics are dependably poetic and pessimistic, with lyrics like "I hate every second of this life long day" clouding up the otherwise sunny "Broken Aeroplanes." But even if Butler hasn't completely reinvented himself, he succeeds in surprising us and making us curious to see what he does next.--Matthew Cooke