The Sound of McAlmont & Butler

by McAlmont & Butler

Overview

The complete works of David McAlmont and Bernard Butler's stormy, short-lived collaboration are collected on The Sound of McAlmont & Butler. Featuring all the duo's songs including their two singles, "Yes" and "You Do," the disc illustrates why the collaboration didn't last more than a few months in 1995. Both of the musicians are extremely talented -- McAlmont's voice soars like few other contemporary soul and pop singers, while Butler has a talent for grandiose, majestic songs and arrangements that his contemporaries generally disdain -- but both are prone to indulgence, which is exactly what happened. Instead of achieving the dark, theatrical beauty of Dog Man Star, his last album with Suede, Butler throws literally everything into the mix -- all of his songs sound like extensions of his magnum opus with Suede, "Stay Together," without the precise vision of Brett Anderson to temper his more outlandish tendencies. That's because McAlmont has a tendency for the outlandish too -- he's just as likely to collapse into vocal histrionics as he is to reach new sonic heights. Consequently, the songs on The Sound of McAlmont & Butler are about sound, not about melody. There are selected highlights -- the duo fulfills their ambitions on the gorgeous "Yes" -- but for the most part, the album is disappointingly tedious and frustratingly unengaging. In short, a wasted opportunity. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	02/03/2023
Label:	Proper Records
UPC:	0805520240277
Rank:	71049

Album Credits

Performance Credits

McAlmont & Butler   Primary Artist
Bernard Butler   Multi Instruments,Guitar
Johnnie Taylor   Violin
David McAlmont   Vocals
Gini Ball   Violin
Jote Osahn   Violin
Anne Stephenson   Violin
Makoto Sakamoto   Drums
Helen Turner   Piano
Jos Pook   Viola
Jimmy Gallagher   Saxophone
Mick Tedder   Bass
Johnny Taylor   Violin
Claire Orsler   Viola

Technical Credits

Bernard Butler   String Arrangements,Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Performer
Graham Stewart   Assistant Engineer
David McAlmont   Composer,Performer
Huey P. Meaux   Composer
Mike Hedges   Producer
Gered Mankowitz   Photography
Ian Grimble   Engineer
McAlmont & Butler   Composer
Nigel Godrich   Mixing,Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Nick Woolage   Mixing,Assistant Engineer
John Cheves   Photography
Shelly   Assistant Engineer
Billy McGhee   String Arrangements
Annalee Valencia   Art Direction
Barbara Lynn Ozen   Composer