THE SPADE

I am so the wrong person to be reviewing THE SPADE by Butch Walker and the Black Widows by a good 35 years or more. I found myself shouting: ‘What the hell??????’ at the CD player after track 3 and then I read the band’s bio; but I should have realised something was going to be wrong much earlier, because the band’s name sounds like something straight out of a kids TV programme. Now before we go any further this is a ‘good’ album and the actual target consumer will probably love it; but readers of Maverick … Hell no! Apparently Mr Walker is a producer of some repute and his bio name drops Katy Perry, Weezer and Avril Lavigne as having worked with him and their fan base will lap this up like extra sugary strawberry milkshake with sprinkles on the top; but ‘mature’ music fans like you and I will rip your ears off by track four. THE SPADE’s production is sharper than a tack and the playing is straight out of the Rock Star manual and the actual songs are all snarling pop rock but aimed at teenagers with stick on tattoos and Top Shop Rolling Stones t-shirts; not discerning music fans brought up on Cash, the Beatles and/or the Clash. It’s pointless listing to the songs because they all sound the same and the radio stations you listen to won’t go near this with a barge poll.