The debate still rages as to why the odd couple David McAlmont and Bernard Butler's original partnership fell apart so dramatically after the successful AND critically-acclaimed "Sound Of McAlmont & Butler" in 1995. Dark mutterings of Butler's alleged homophobia reached fever pitch and were never categorically denied.
However, despite McAlmont's subsequent flirtation with both David Arnold's Bond Theme project and a solo album and Bernard Butler's rather more high profile spell with Creation Records, you'd have to admit that neither reached their potential alone and - after the briefest listen to "Bring It Back" - you find yourself shaking your head and thinking: 'what the hell took them so long to patch it up?'
Sure the cynical among us (mea culpa, as usual) would probably blame filthy lucre for the re-ignition of this partnership, but - shag it all - "Bring It Back" is a dynamite, mature (yeah...wanna make something of it?) POP album, liberally laced with quadruple shots of Northern Soul. Christ, they make the creation of huge, widescreen pop albums sound like the most natural thing since sucking in air.
"Theme From" is a startling opener that jars you awake. Much harder than this writer had expected, it's funky and dangerous, driven by "Shaft"-style wah-wah breaks and propulsive rhythms. "This is a microphone check...let the story begin" intones McAlmont over a radio mic and Butler goes into overdrive, demonstrating that he's been bottled up far too long. By the time the huge flourishes of strings and an extra-terrestrial chorus have been teleported in, you're beyond doubt that this is great.
Most of the remainder is equally ambitious in scope. The Northern Soul feel is seldom far away, with songs like "Can We Make It?" - beamed in from a Wigan Pier all-niter with a massive chorus, trumpets and knobs on - and the squidgy and insanely catchy funk of the title track suggesting hit singles will remain within their line of fire for some time.
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The possibilities don't end there, either. Take "Falling": almost Spectorian in execution, it's propelled by a caophonous rock'n'roll beat and McAlmont's almost indescribably good vocals that have you reaching for all those heavenly/ angelic cliches, or the closing "Beat", where Butler breaks out the Glam-my, Mick Ronson guitars and McAlmont sings with an air of both defiance and exultation all at once. Building up to the requisite massive crescendo, it's got "EPIC" branded through to its' very soul.
And "soul" really is the watchword here, because, unlike all the usual contemporary pretenders we encounter supposedly pushing the r'n'b envelope, "Bring It Back" harks back to the days of blue-eyed Stax/ Volt soul and sprays it with several coatings of modern day pop gloss, producing memorable songs of quality and distinction like "Different Strokes" and the mellow, but insistent "Sunny Boy."
Although "Bring It Back" retains the kind of upfront, commercial sheen that usually bypasses your reviewer, this is one case worth making an exception for, as it really is the sound of two potentially stellar talents actually creating something beyond the sum of the parts. And for that we should be truly grateful.
Knowing their past track record, this writer would be wary of cracking open the magnums just yet, but whether or not McAlmont & Butler are working by the Gallaghers' "we need each other" maxim or not, they've let their art do the talking here.
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