Bernard Butler - People Move On (1998)

People Move On suffers from a problem common to solo albums -- now that the artist is freed from the confines of his group, he is compelled to show that he can do it all on his own. Since Bernard Butler has always traded in major statements, this flaw hurts him less than others, but it still prevents People Move On from being the tour de force it was intended to be. Part of the problem is Butler's thin, wispy voice, which often sounds like it's straining to hit the notes. On the gentle acoustic numbers, it can be convincing, but it hardly sells the sweeping, cinematic songs. "Woman I Know," "You Just Know," "Not Alone" and "Stay" are so busy they barely make sense. All the overdubbed backing vocals, keyboards and guitars sound disassociated from each other, adding up to awkward attempts at grand statements that fall flat. He's much better at the quieter moments, such as "You've Got What It Takes" and "You Light the Fire." These moments of introspection are what give People Move On weight, and what make it a promising solo debut.~People Move On Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine