Steady work from Bernard Butler has been a light blessing as of late. His work with Jessie Buckley on For All Our Days That Tear the Heart was a neat, if understated, treat. Good Grief, Butler’s first solo effort since 1999 hears him step away from the dependable collaborative process and rack his mind for personable experiences. An immediate warmth can be heard in the instrumental choices of opener Camber Sands, but the shock is in the vocal performance from Butler. A frayed and gruff vocal experience, a seasoned image to him now and put to good use. Instrumental depth carries Good Grief to a heartwarming end, but take note of these vocal changes from Butler – these are the noises of a seasoned musician making good on a soft adaptation of heartland blues. These are the hopes and lived-in dreams of an everyday person.
Such is the raw beauty of this Butler effort. Good Grief is carried by the scope of honesty heard throughout. While a trip to an East Sussex beach may not sound like a grand day out, it does have the heartfelt and introspective expectations set by Butler, and he continues those themes through Good Grief. Soft acoustics and skilful vocal efforts are heard throughout. He is dependent on location with this one, Deep Emotions setting its scene at Primrose Hill. There is room for electric eccentricity here and it is played up towards the end of this, rather minorly, but it is in there before string adaptations are made. Butler still has an ear for what makes his tracks click, and most of the time, the answer is instrumentals. Though Living the Dream is dependent on this raw instrumental beauty, the lyrical demand feels softer, despite the heavy context and the sudden twists and turns of life.
Some of the metaphorical parts, particularly on Preaching to the Choir, feel a bit off. But these are the moments of quiet Butler searches for, regardless of lyrical consistencies. He still has a strong scope for the emotional power of well-paced instrumental choices but some feel a tad lacking. The Forty Foot remains an integral part of the album – one of those perfect blends of instrumental interest and vocal quality, giving Butler the room to grow and explore a sound which he has never trialled before. Not the genre, but the lyrical joy and openness is a treat, a solo endeavour, the first in years. It is the warmth found in the noise of London Snow which gets to the joyous core of this Butler effort.
There is a remarkable consistency from Butler here which is more a positive light for the future than a resounding achievement for Good Grief. It is decent work with a few brighter sparks within. Soulful grooves and an exploration of the heart, which is trickier when collaborating alongside artists with just as big a personality and personable appeal as Butler. Here he finds himself isolated, and for good reason. These are the quality guitar moves he made on previous collaborations but backed by his charms, his reasonable shortcomings and what keeps him moving forward. An interesting listen, filled with introspective charms and softly-spoken, flourishing experiences.
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