Booth and the Bad Angel
Booth and the Bad Angel

THE REVIEW

I was thinking of introducing this review by writing about the meeting of two worlds; about how two seemingly distant artists can blend their artistic visions and produce beautiful tracks.

But when it comes to Tim Booth and Angelo Badalamenti, in my opinion, this reasoning cannot be applied at all; those worlds are not distant at all.

First of all, it should be noted that there were actually four personalities involved in the project.

Tim Booth and Angelo Badalamenti discussed the possibility of working together for years (since the early nineties, when Booth expressed his intention after listening to Floating Into The Night).

After overcoming their respective obstacles, they finally began to conceptualize the album. Tim knew that Bernard Butler was no longer part of Suede, and convinced him to join. Then there is -albeit for a small participation- the inevitable Brian Eno, who was also producing albums for James at the time, among other things. It was Eno who developed within the band that idea of sound experimentation which was more prominently featured in Wah Wah. So, probably, the producer's influence led Booth down that path.

The lyrics of the James frontman found in this album are not just among the best of his career; they are among the best in history. The atmospheres that Badalamenti creates fit perfectly with the atmospheres that Tim Booth describes with the innate passion that has always distinguished him.

To address spirituality and not dogmatic religiosity at all costs; this is something Tim knows how to do when writing his pieces. From God Only Knows, through Seven, you can sense the sensitivity he possesses regarding this topic. In I Believe there is an emancipation of freedom of expression outside doctrinal frameworks.

You tie me up with words

...

I believe that someone's watching over me

The most alluring and romantic side resides in the desperate Fall In Love With Me, a song many singer-songwriters would dream of writing at night.

At the end of all this, the former Suede guitarist proposed to the singer to form a new group, but he could not join. He had promised the rest of the James that he would return. It was a nice interlude.

The sounds are an amusement park, and the words are children who play and grow inside it; they turn into adults and finish their ride on the carousel.

These eleven pearls will flow and be played from the beginning just like that carousel, I'm sure; I recommend this Booth And The Bad Angel in its entirety.