Genre Pop, Rock
Evaluation First off I want to point out, in case those of you reading my reviews haven’t already figured this out, that I try to write reviews on albums that no one, for whatever reason, bothered to do so. This may be due to many factors such as, never heard of artist, didn’t care enough about artist to bother, didn’t want to write a review on something they didn’t like for fear of getting yelled at in the press. Well, up to now I have played it pretty safe writing reviews on albums that I felt you just had to have. Well, this time I’m going to take my chances on what I call a marginal album. So hear goes.
This may be an unfair thing to say but Julian Lennon is not his father. Now I know that’s like trying to compare a hamburger to lobster. The hamburger is fine food in it’s own right but it ain’t lobster. I guess that’s kind of what I am trying to say here. Julian Lennon certainly has talent. He would have to be brain dead not to inherit something from his dad. But he is no John Lennon. At times his vocals do sound much like his father’s, which can really give you the creeps, but that is where the similarity ends. He is not the musician or the writer that John Lennon was. Maybe that’s why his career was so short. People just expected too much from him.
So what exactly do I think of what was his debut album? Well, I’ve certainly heard worse. There are 2 songs on the album, one is actually excellent, and the other is an okay pop tune that wasn’t bad but certainly nothing to write home to mom about. The rest of the album is just okay. The songs are pleasant enough to listen to but they just don’t have the heart, soul and melodies that we were so used to hearing coming out of John Lennon or for that matter any of the other Beatles. So is this a fair comparison to make? Of course not. Is it the way we as human beings are? Sadly, yes. But the bottom line is this. If Julian Lennon were related to no one, this would still be just an okay album with one great song and one pretty good song. Oh here are the songs.
1) Valotte - The title tune of the album. ’’You know there’s something wrong...You felt it all along.’’ When he hits the high note on the end of that line you’d swear it was John Lennon, it is so scary. This is one of the most unusual and haunting songs I have ever heard. If you’ve never heard it then the album is worth getting just for it as Julian Lennon does not have a greatest hits album and there is no other way to have this gem.
2) Too Late For Goodbyes An okay pop tune that is kind of catchy. ’’It’s just too late for goodbyes.’’ The guitar riff at the end of the line is real cool. I can see why this song was a hit. It was well crafted. But this is no great piece of music. Oh here I go again, expecting greatness from the son of greatness. Life is so unfair.
The rest of the album is okay. There is certainly nothing on it that will make you cringe and say to yourself, ’’This is awful’’. But you’re not going to hear anything on it other than the title tune that will make you go wow. That’s just the way it is.
Bottom Line: Am I glad I bought this album? Absolutely! Valotte is a treasure of a song and should have been a much bigger hit than it was. The album again is certainly pleasant enough that you can listen to it and when it’s over say to yourself, ’’Not bad, I guess it was worth the $12 (at Amazon.com). If you expect no more than that from this album then you will be pleased and feel that you got your moneys worth, but if you are expecting the second coming of John Lennon then you are going to be very disappointed.