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It's a little known fact but Damon Gough AKA Badly Drawn Boy had somewhat of a breakdown during the making of his fifth record. A whole album of Stephen Street produced tracks was binned as Damon declared that "The stars weren't aligned, I wasn't feeling where they were going". 'Born In The UK' is what Gough has come up with instead, an ode to the isles of Britannia produced by Lemon Jelly man Nick Franglen. Now the idea of scrapping an album intrigues Gigwise as it instantly elevates what awaits us on the CD that is declared good enough for consumption by the public, whatever is on here Gough must be 200% sure is brilliant.
The album opens with 'Swimming Pool' 90 seconds of bliss that paves way for 'Born In The UK' a Slade-esque rock track that documents the events that have shaped Goughs life from his birth in 1969, including references to the Silver Jubilee and Bruce Spingsteen. 'Degrees Of Separation' is a country lite tune that ambles along nicely but ultimately bores. The same cannot be said for 'Welcome To The Overground', an euphoric burst of joy with a gospel choir accompanying Gough throughout. 'A Journey From A to B' is another slow paced ballad with a nice enough melody but the sweetness and charm that once encased Badly Drawn Boy songs seems to have got lost somewhere and spark a number of dull and ordinary songs on 'Born In The UK'. 'Nothings Gonna Change', ' Promises' and 'Without A Kiss' are all piano led trips into Radio 2 territory with nothing to say for themselves, and that is the main criticism of 'Born In The UK' - not that it's especially bad just very dull and forgettable.
'The Time Of Times' is more like the Badly Drawn Boy of old with a foot tapping beat and simple but honest lyrics whilst 'The Way Things Used To Be' is a beautiful and simple ballad (again!) with effective use of slide guitar that gives the track a unique edge over the rest of the album.
No doubt die-hard Badly Drawn Boy fans will love 'Born In The UK' and essentially it isn't a bad album. The problem with it is that it is all set at one pace (slow) and the difference in the songs is very little. Gough has had tremendous success in the past with 'About A Boy' and 'Hour Of The Bewilderbeast' but it seems unlikely this current album will follow suit. Gigwise is left wondering how dull the Stephen Street sessions were.
