Born in the UK- a review

Album name: Born in the U.K.
Artist: Badly Drawn Boy
Release date: October 16, 2006
Label: EMI/Twisted Nerve
"Professional" reviews:
AMG 3/5
Pitchfork 2.8/10
Metacritic 57 ("Mixed or average reviews")

I like Badly Drawn Boy, and I like patriotism even more. This, similar in title but vastly different in content and outlook from the classic Springsteen album, is an extraordinarily brave work of art. At a time when the values of patriotism, optimism and even happiness are under siege in many parts of the world, including Damon Gough's England, it is heartening to say the least to see the usually morose singer-songwriter bring out an album which celebrates his great country. Some of the often savage criticism this album has received is due to this (see Pitchfork rating above), a disappointing reflection of the often blind anti-patriotism that many music critics believe in.

Gough has always been tuneful, and while there are no classics here, it is perhaps his most consistently melodic album here. There is also no real experimentation, which suggests that this might be a last-ditch attempt by Gough to reclaim commercial viability. It would be almost uniformly enjoyable musically if Gough didn't cloak everything in mountains of keyboards and horn and synths that hark not to the classical but to the 1980s, which Gough needs to remember was the time when Margaret Thatcher, who is namechecked on the title track, ruled and ruined Britain. All this bluster and fuss makes the music almost unlistenable at times- you wish that Gough would return to the baroque folk-pop of his debut (still his best album by far). The only classic he's ever turned out in this layered pop format is 2002's "You Were Right". The only songs good enough to really stand out despite the production are the title track and the lovely last two songs, "The Time of Times" and "One Last Dance", where Gough is truly affecting.

Lyrically, despite the terrific patriotic stance already mentioned, Gough continues to retreat from his early position as a darkly humorous, often moving songwriter. Now he trades in empty cliches and phrases and images that are both meaningless and often cringe-worthy:
"Life's carousel keeps turning still
Life keeps turning around and around
We keep learning from things we have found"

Yet he does sometimes succeed, such as when we pays subtle tribute to Springsteen at the end of the album and when he namechecks Donahue and Dee- I dislike namedropping on principle but this is a rare exception to that. This album veers between endearing and underrated to frustratingly bad.

Grade: B