Search - John Butler Trio :: Grand National

A small step backward for JBT

Chris F. | Pawtucket, RI | 12/30/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a big JBT fan since 2005 and have listened to an incredible amount of music from this band including many live shows. This album just doesn't translate to what JBT does best. It's a bit "poppy" at points and as a whole, lacks musicianship displayed on other JBT records. Where are the jams John? It sounds as if John didn't know if he wanted this record to be a folk record, alternative record or a roots record. I would recommend it though, based on some very solid tracks such as "Gov' Did Nothing", "Funky Tonight","Daniella" and "Used to Get High"."

Funkier than any jam band

lain4ever | Los Angeles, CA | 08/27/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Honestly, the John Butler Trio has not gotten the stateside welcome that they deserve. In fact, "Sunrise Over Sea" was one of the best jam band releases to date. And it almost didn't get airplay in the United States.



Thus, the John Butler Trio is back to jam again with their third album, "Grand National," which is a delightful funk/roots band masterpiece.



With all the funk guitar riffs that John Butler pulls off, one can now officially call them the Red Hot Chili Peppers of the jam band scene. In fact, with the coolest banjo and electric guitar licks in the song "Gov Did Nothin'," John Butler is on fire.



Even though this album is less raw than "Sunrise Over Sea," the band makes up for it by bringing in a horn section in "Gov Did Nothin'" and a string ensemble in "Caroline." John Butler also switches to playing smooth and quiet raggae in "Groovin' Slowly," with a banjo and Sharon Birchall playing a snazzy bass guitar line.



The band is also playing with editing effects too. Probably the coolest sounds come in the introduction to "Devil Running," featuring guitar tracks played backwards before kicking the drums in. There's also moments in "Fire in the Sky" where the guitar sounds are bent out of tune and resonating with long echoes.



Most of all, though, John Butler is showing a softer, intimate side of his persona in this album. Songs such as "Losing You" and "Caroline" are touching acoustic songs with almost no other instruments backing him up. And even though "Fire in the Sky" features some menacing electric guitar strums, most of the rest of the song has beautiful consonant guitar strums and riffs.



This is a great album that shows more of the trio's persona, with both loud jams and some soft bluegrass songs. The loud songs in the first half of the album are complemented by some soft, peaceful jams. And while John Butler's lyrics are nowhere near as catchy as "You better treat yo' mama with respect" in the previous album, this is an album that shows that Butler can sound cool, even when he's not in a passionate mood."