Butch Walker And The Black Widows have released their sixth full-length album, The Spade. He doesn’t take himself too seriously on the new release, writing many up-tempo, lighthearted and humorous songs like the openers, “Bodegas And Blood” and “Every Single Body Else,” which are about setting his eyes on beautiful women while they’re doing ugly things.
Guitars chug and the drums rumble ‘n’ shake to the “Summer Of ’89,” as Walker pokes fun at Bryan Adam’s “Summer of ‘69” with the line, “Nobody really knew Bryan Adams wasn’t cool/The TV told me he was.” Walker cracks another joke in “Synthesizers,” noting how every musician today uses synth.
“Dublin Crow” and “Sucker Punched” are his take on country music. He compares the differences between girls from L.A. to those from NYC. Even his sweet Georgia peaches are analyzed in “The Closest Thing To You I’m Gonna Find.”
While “Sweethearts” has a Santana-like, easy-breezy riff that heats things up, Walker cools them down with female backups.
“Day Drunk” has a nice, straight-ahead beat and carries out to “Bullet Belt,” offering a garage-punk meets Weezer sound as he sings about how his parents acted during their heyday compared to how things haven’t changed in his generation.
There’s no doubt this is a Butch Walker release. Each of the 10-tracks are filled with high-energy rhythms, catchy hooks and diverse styles, whether it’s his country riffs or soaring solos, this record is an easy-listen and has something to offer to everyone.
In A Word: Hooky
