Sound: As the name suggests, this is the third album from the John Butler Trio. There are eight tracks and the album clocks in at just over an hour long. It's got a mainstream rocky/poppy sound to it that I'm not too fond off, and wasn't what I was expecting based the John's other work. The first two tracks, 'Betterman' and 'Attitude' are pretty cool (apart from a really overblown bit in 'Attitude', which spoils the songs fairly restrained feel), but the rest of the album doesn't match up to it's opening, in particular, 'Life Ain't What It Seems' is pretty lame, and since it's 8:14 long, it's a bit difficult to ignore. John's vocals sound genuinely impassioned and he shows a pretty good range in terms of pitch on the album. His guitar work is good, but not as spectacular as in some of his other work, never getting anywhere near the magnificence of some of his live renditions of 'Ocean', for instance. // 5
Lyrics and Singing: I totally agree with most/all of what John says with his lyrics, but he doesn't really have the lyrical ability to make what he's saying seem moving or especially relevant to the listener. Plus, since many of the tracks have a strong political view, people who oppose his views might find the lyrics really irritating as they lack any kind of subtlety, I find that lack annoying even though I agree with him. Songs like the aforementioned 'Life Ain't What It Seems' also take a ridiculously long time to get to the point. // 3
Impression: I would not really recommend this album as it doesn't show John's usual high standard at all (with the exceptions of the two tracks, 'Betterman' and 'Attitude' that I already mentioned). I would advise checking out his other work, not this, as I really love his other stuff. As for the traditional "if it was lost or stolen" question, I'd buy a different JBT album, and laugh at the thief for wasting his time stealing a pretty below average album. // 4
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