Album Review: Foxton & Hastings - "The Butterfly Effect"

 

Although they bill themselves as From The Jam live, on record Bruce Foxton and Russell Hastings use this moniker, presumably to keep Paul Weller's lawyers from the door. Foxton's done a couple of decent solo albums in recent years in the form of 2012's Back In The Room and 2016's Smash The Clock so I was intrigued to see what this one would sound like.

The answer is that it's a perfectly pleasant album but doesn't really leap out at you right from the moment the chugging blues rock of Electronic Lover starts the album. Feet Off The Ground, ironically enough, sounds like the Style Council with its chiming keyboards and almost jazzy rhythms while Lula is straight ahead AOR (complete with a sax solo).

And so it pretty much continues throughout to be honest. Like I say, I'm aware that Foxton is in his sixties now and it's probably a bit unfair to expect him to still be the angry young firebrand he was in his Jam days but The Butterfly Effect, while inoffensive enough, is so laid back that you could bottle it up and sell it as valium. If you're not after something particularly challenging to listen to then this will probably suit you just fine but I just kind of wish it wasn't playing it quite so safe to be honest - it feels like the musical equivalent of a rainy Sunday afternoon when you're stuck in the house and gently dozing on the sofa trying to forget that Monday morning's just around the corner. If the idea of an ‘80s MOR rock revival has you salivating with excitement then you may find something of solace here but otherwise approach with caution I’m afraid.

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌓🌓🌓🌓🌓🌓🌑🌑🌑🌑 (6/10)

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