Babyshambles
Shotter's Nation

THE REVIEW

September 2007. Peter Doherty tries again.

Was it really necessary after all the buzz about crack, heroin, and Kate Moss? Some of you might have answered "no," and I understand; after all, Doherty was even featured on a show like Lucignolo, a program where at most you look at some scantily-clad showgirls.

Instead, I prefer to go beyond that, or rather, I prefer to take a step back and think of Pete as the singer and composer of that magnificent live-recorded album which is "Up the Bracket."

Ok, this is the review of "Shotter's Nation," the new album by the Babyshambles, not the debut of the Libertines. However, to understand sometimes you are forced to take that step back I mentioned before. Peter Doherty remains a great storyteller, a genuine talent, a poet.

"Carry on up the mornin", the song that opens the album, dispels any doubt. The 2007 Babyshambles are an excellent band led by a charismatic frontman. A band that blends the second-era Nuggets groups with Jam, Clash, Madness and creates songs that reinterpret a certain psychedelia with a bluesy twist ("Crumb begging", "Unstookietitled"), showcase punk attitude ("Side of the road"), turn patchanka into a folk key ("There she goes again") and offer moments dense with emotions ("French dog blues", "Baddies boogie" and the concluding, twilight "The lost art of Murder").

Forget for a moment all the buzz about crack, heroin, and Kate Moss. "They sold my name after they stole my shame" sings that great poet Pete Doherty in "Unstookietitled" and at least for this time, I feel like believing him.