Sleepy (and Annoying) Soul

It’s such a shame when bands which have previously proven their talents and ability to put forth enjoyable music on numerous occasions fall flat in newer endeavors as they age. The newest album by The Proclaimers, Restless Soul is a total disappointment as the boring antithesis of anything enjoyable. Restless starts off with “When Love Struck You Down”, a song that conjures images of rhinestone-studded butterfly collars and carefully coifed mullets; like a Scottish Neil Diamond. This sadly funny mental picture continues to wink its way throughout the entire album. For example, in songs like “What I Saw in You”, the image becomes softly focused and is coupled with syrupy crooning lyrics about losing interest in your wife and finding it again years later, appealing only to a crowd old enough to have been married for many years. The album drags along, thus making imperfections like the terrible caterwauling on the high notes of songs such as “I’m Gone” that much more prominent. This is definitely not the range the Reid brothers want to be singing in. The single track on the album with the kind of energy heard in their most famous song “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”, from the film Benny & Joon, is the finale “One More Down.” It is vibrant, melodic and simply the best song on the entire album.

Though The Proclaimers have had many brushes with success in the past (including songs on soundtracks from Benny & Joon, Dumb and Dumber, Bottle Rocket, and The Drew Carey Show), this album will not be showcasing their vast talent. It will merely be putting youngsters to sleep and irritating vocalists.