Reviews

Badly Drawn Boy, otherwise known as Damon Gough, is a singer songwriter perhaps most renowned in the United States for this work on the “About A Boy” soundtrack. His attempt to return to the United States music scene is found in “Born in the U.K.”  While the sounds of the piano-driven rock may work for some, this musical effort is more likely to be enjoyed as much as squeeking nails on a chalkboard.

Other critics describe the album in bright, cheery ways. Some note that the artist performs with style similar to Ben Folds. Some note that he plays elegant, yet rock-like tunes with shimmering “rainbow back-up vocals.” All of those people are misleading you. This music is nothing spectacular at all.

The album, in entirety, is average at best. At some points, tracks like the record’s single, “Nothing’s Gonna Change Your Mind” hint at becoming catchy, fully fleshed-out songs with real substance. But no sooner said, Gough deviates from what could have made the song appealing into something that loses the listener altogether. While there is no doubt in my mind that Damon Gough is talented, there is no overarching consistency in song quality on this album; it's a bit of a mixed bag.

So, the disc falls very short of expectations, particularly in light of Gough's previous work that has demonstrated his musical ability. While I hoped for a rocky, piano ballad-filled album, I received what was more like another soundtrack for a movie that has not yet been written. The chosen genre of this album doesn’t really suit the songs within it. While the songs make excellent atmosphere music or even (gasp!) elevator music, the songs are never really fully developed beyond that. Damon Gough should stick to what he knows best: writing background music for movies that actually exist.