Butch Walker - I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart

Butch Walker is a pop genius that has once again truly outdone himself with "I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart". The follow-up to 2008’s heartache born nostalgic autobiographical "Sycamore Meadows" is loaded with crafty pop hooks and his smashing songwriting ability is as always very apparent.

The record starts strong with “Trash Day” which is much like the stylings of legend Tom Petty and ends just as well with his classic smile and wink wit in “Days/Month/Years”. That being said the going gets great at about the middle of the record.

It’s hard to believe that this artist that is doing very much something similar to the California country thing of the 70’s that was made famous by the Eagles and Jackson Browne was once in a hair band from Georgia “South Gang”. “I was in one, so it's a little too close to home." Walker explains in “She Likes Hair Bands”. This track is a witty gem about a smutty girl. It has probably my favourite lyrics from the record such as the following:

“She likes Mary Jane

But she says she doesn't like the smell

And She's got a baby

And by the way she walks I can't tell

She's got a birthmark

On the inside of her thigh

Ask me how I know (Ha)

About the inside of her thigh

She knows the Japanese alphabet

But She don't know me-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e

Yeah”

Going the piano-ballad route is that classic Walker Ballad in “Canadian Ten” that doesn’t disappoint. Also a nice bonus if the record was purchased in store is a download card comes included for a superb cover or Taylor Swift‘s “You Belong With Me”. You can't help but smile at the thought of this.

This record has everything that makes a record great. Great la-la-la-la-la’s, great hand claps and great influences such as the glorious pop track that reeks of Phil Spector “Pretty Melody”. It’s the song that’s going to make me a Beatles fan…

In a time where contemporary music is loaded with bands making folk/indie records that fall short, Butch is making great records from start to finish. Most artists can’t make a record this fresh, modern and relevant and still make every song count...but then again most artists aren't Butch Walker.

"I Liked It Better When You Had No Heart" is power pop soaked and folk/indie infused. I don’t think this is going to be the record that defines his career or catapults him to stardom but it’s going to keep his extremely loyal fan base extremely happy… at least till the next record.