Paul Broadhead reviews the new release from Badly Drawn Boy
AWAL
Released: 22.05.20
The notoriously moody Damon Gough, aka Badly Drawn Boy, sounds like he’s having fun on his first record in eight years, finding a fine line between the likes of the familiar uplifting soul pop of Funny Time Of Year and the experimentation of the ambitious Colours.
“Break free from this plastercast, leave your past behind,” he urges on the funky hip-hop mish-mash opener Banana Skin Shoes before revelling in the Madchester sound of the politically charged Is This A Dream? The Motown soul of Mr Wilson Said sees him revisiting Manchester on a record that brims with positivity, from the jaunty brass section of I’m Not Sure What It Is to the upbeat reflection on a broken relationship in I Just Wanna Wish You Happiness.
