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John Butler Trio- Sunrise
Over Sea |
John
Butler Trio- Sunrise Over Sea
John Butler is doing pretty well for himself.
He was named the male artist of the year by the Recording Industry Association
in his native Australia. He also appeared on The Late Show with David
Letterman on 29 March. It’s pretty easy to see why he’s doing so
well. The John Butler Trio is a talented group of musicians that
is not easily categorized.
Trying to describe the sound of the John
Butler Trio is not an easy task. They take elements of roots, blues
and indie rock and fuse it all together into their own sound. I have
to go out on a limb to compare them to anyone. They remind me most
of Xavier Rudd (“Hello”) and Dave Matthews Band. Vocally, John Butler
is nothing like those two, but all three incorporate a lot of influences
in their music. The other part of the comparison might seem like
a reach to some, but this is my take and I’m sticking to it. The
energy they bring to some of these songs (“There’ll Come a Time” and “Mist”)
reminds me a lot of James’s experimental album Wah Wah.
This is a very mellow, sort of groovy album.
Butler best shows his chops as a guitarist on “Mist.” He features
the banjo in a couple songs (“Damned to Hell,” and “Bound to Ramble.”)
This isn’t your typical bluegrass or Irish folk banjo, though. “Bound
to Ramble” sounds pretty similar to Steve Earle’s song “The Truth.”
There are a couple things that fall into
the “miss” category for me. First, the album could probably be a
lot shorter and not lose anything. It weighs in at seventy-six and
a half minutes. This actually leads right to my next point.
The length probably wouldn’t be as noticeable if there wasn’t such a similar
sound in each song. I didn’t find any “replay” songs or “shirtgrabbers.”
All in all, it’s a good effort. The John
Butler Trio is a talented group that could be around for years to come
and Sunrise over Sea is a good showcase of their talent.
CD Info
John Butler
Trio - Sunrise Over Sea
Label: Lava/Atlantic
Rating:  
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