Butch Walker and the Black Widows: I Like It Better When You Had No Heart

Feb 222010

I really have no business reviewing this album because even if it was just the sound of Mr. Walker making fart noise for 35 minutes, I’d think it was the best record ever devised. As I admitted last week, I am a self professed “super fan” for Butch Walker and all incarnations of his music. I’ve bought albums that he merely produced just because well, damn it, it’s him! ¬†This love affair has been going on for nearly a decade now and shows no signs of slowing. ¬†My wife gets suspicious every two years when Walker and his band of merry men put out a new album but I reassure her that Butch wouldn’t want me. ¬†She then tells me that if he did though, she would understand the journey that follows…

So since this is the first review I’ve ever written for one of his albums, and likely the first or second time you’ve ever heard of him, let’s start of with a little Walker 101. ¬†In the early 90s, a young Butch Walker, fresh from Cartersville, Georgia joined a group called Southgang as a guitar player/song writer/back up vocalist. ¬†In the album I’ll be referring to in a moment, Butch refers to this band as a “hair band” but I would also add a dash of “cock rock” to that moniker. ¬†Southgang toured the world and eventually dissolved somewhere around the mid-90s. ¬†Butch took two of the members from that band and formed The Marvelous 3, a power/pop rock band. ¬†Their second album, titled Hey! Album, had a little hit in 1999 called Freak of the Week that propelled them into minor stardom. ¬†They¬†then released a third album, ReadySexGo, that served up a good amount of songs condemning the record industry for the mishandling of their promotions. ¬†Not able to get out of their contract with Elektra records, they once again dissolved the band and went their separate ways.

Walker had done a little music producing, most notably on ReadySexGo, and was looking to get into more. ¬†In 2002, he cut a solo record, Left of Self-Centered, that showcased a wide range of his musical talents including, rock, rock rap, power ballads, and a stripped down, semi-acoustic song titled Far Away From Close that seems to echo the path his solo career has now taken. ¬†He still produces a good amount of albums or songs for other bands. ¬†The most recent thing that comes to mind is the first single off Weezer’s new album titled (If You’re Wondering if I Want You To) I Want You To. He’s also worked with Avril Lavigne, Pink, Sevendust, Puffy Ami Yumi,¬†Fall Out Boy, Bowling For Soup, Lindsay Lohan, and Midtown. ¬†So even if you haven’t heard of him, you’ve likely heard him somewhere.

Ok, history lesson/grand scheme to show off my Butch Walker trivia done, let’s get to what is Walker’s fifth “solo” album: Butch Walker and the Black Widows: I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart. ¬†I say “solo” because he’s had a core band with him for roughly three albums now. ¬†It’s rather difficult to place the genre for this kind of sound but that can be said for the majority of music these days. ¬†If I had to peg it, I’d say it’s retro, rock, country, and pop. ¬†Oh, and there’s some great piano and strings work throughout. ¬†Does that make sense? ¬†No? ¬†Well… ¬†Here, choose¬†She Likes Hair Bands below and see if it’s up your alley-

Ok, so if you want, you can actually stream the whole album while I continue. ¬†Are you still with me? ¬†For the record, I listened to the digital version of the album through a two channel stereo on my home theater system. ¬†I know purists probably think I’m crazy for reviewing a compressed version of an album but I was still impressed with the production even on this scale. ¬†Here are the tracks that really stood out to me:

Track 2: Pretty Melody-

It only took two listens for me to be sold on this one. ¬†The hook is a little unconventional but the chorus, ironically with a very pretty melody, is in one word delightful. ¬†I hate using that word but it’s the only one that fits the bill here. ¬†The use of strings throughout the song are just fantastic and the effect of the sound getting “swallowed” after each chorus works.

Track 6: Temporary Title-

I love, love ,love the chorus for this song. ¬†The track begins with a great deal of energy and never falters. ¬†It also helps that singing “Whoa, Whoa” is relatively easy to do. ¬†I can see this becoming an audience participation tune during Butch’s concerts. ¬†Oh, and the little funky interlude towards the middle just plain rules. ¬†Hands down, this is my favorite track on the album.

Track 7: She Likes Hair Bands-

This one isn’t as easy to sing as Temporary Title but it’s almost as much fun (do I sound like a fifteen year-old girl yet? GOOD!). ¬†It has a mellow start that transitions into a fast talkin’ chorus. ¬†It probably helps that I’ve been listening to this song, as opposed to the rest of the album, for over a month but the lyrics stand out here as well. ¬†One thing I failed to mention in my biography for Butch is that there’s usually some sort of story behind his tunes. ¬†I don’t know the details behind this one, but there’s certainly a picture painted for you.

Track 10: Days/Months/Years-

This was the most challenging song for me the first time through the album. ¬†But upon repeat listenings, I really dig it. There’s a bluesy motif to the whole thing that just works. ¬†And the fact that there are jingle bells throughout makes you think it would be a mess but in the end, it’s great. ¬†Add to that the distorted guitar solo and you’ve got a real mish-mash of rock genres blending here. ¬†Bottom-line, it’s fun. ¬†Plus Butch talks about pissing in a gas tank and syphoning it out to spit in some dude’s face. ¬†Righteous!

Track 11: Be Good Until Then-

Walker likes to end his albums with what you might call “a ballad.” ¬†The cool thing is that most of the time, these are uplifting songs as opposed to love scorned diatribes and Be Good Until Then is no exception. ¬†In fact, the meaning behind the lyrics is similar to the last song on his first solo album, Take Tomorrow. ¬†Walker has mentioned in concerts that when he first recorded Take Tomorrow, it was just him and his acoustic guitar but that he added a fully produced rendition for the album. ¬†He admits that he was never satisfied with that version and even now when he plays the song in concert, he’s been known to eschew his band, amp, and microphone to play the song down on the dance floor with his fans. ¬†That song, like Be Good Until Then, is a song of hope. ¬†And no surprise here- he recorded it with just his acoustic and vocals. ¬†¬†¬†It even sounds like it was recorded in a slightly crude manner to give it that “caught in the moment” sound. ¬†I love that he ends the album with this sort of message.

Ok, so I’ve written enough now that you likely believe I’m crazy. ¬†I know my friends and family have grown tired of my undying devotion to this man’s music but I just can’t help myself. ¬†I’ve said this a hundred times and I hope I get to say it another thousand: if you ask me my favorite movie I’ll likely struggle to determine if it’s Jaws, Empire Strikes Back, or 13 Going on 30. ¬†But if you ask me my favorite band/musician, I’ll answer without hesitation. ¬†His name is Butch Walker and yes, I would let him violate me should the opportunity present itself.

Butch Walker and the Black Widows: I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart is already available on vinyl and will release on CD and iTunes this Tuesday, February 23rd.

For an extra bonus, here’s a video of Butch on the local news in Atlanta introducing his new album and playing Trash Day.