It doesn't seem like five minutes since Richard Walters released his debut album, 'The Animal'. Even in real terms, 'Pacing' is a pretty swift follow-up, coming a little over eighteen months after its predecessor. How has he managed to write and record another whole album in such short time, given that 'The Animal' took a whole three years to write?
It's hard to guess, of course, but there's no question that 'Pacing' marks a significant stylistic shift for Walters, with the understated, quiet introspection that characterised 'The Animal' replaced by bold, full and expansive outward-facing songs. One key point of note is that the realisation of this sophomore effort involved one Bernard Butler, who recorded, produced and mixed it. So, is is entirely surprising when Walters comes on like Suede with strings on 'Where We Stand'? No, not really. How about 'Mattress Fire', which sees Walters sound like Travis with strings? Not especially.
The trouble is, while I found Walters' debut album rather dull, it at least felt like it was his album. 'Pacing' feels very much like a vehicle for Butler's full, sweeping production. It's not that I have fundamental issues with producers steering things - many of the records produced by Phil Spector wouldn't have been half the records they were without his stamp all over them. But then, when it went wrong it went badly wrong and the artist’s identity was buried beneath over-dominant production values that steer the artist's own vision way off course (try listening to Leonard Cohen's 'Death of a Ladies' Man' without wincing). Sonically speaking, Butler's no Phil Spector, no matter how hard he wishes it to be so.
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All to often, Walters sounds as though he's struggling, drowning in a sea of sound. The hectic, blustery 'Elephant in the Room' couldn't be more apposite: his falsetto battles against a flurry of dancey drums and peripheral yet obtrusive layers of sound. Meanwhile, 'Black Hair' is a rather ill-fitting stab at 90s indie / dance crossover and sounds dated before the album's even released. It's also completely devoid of personality.
Still, even on a bad day, Richard Walters is infinitely better than Duffy – even if his album sales don't reflect that.
Richard Walters on MySpace
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