People Move On

Background

Following his split from soul singer David McAlmont in 1995 and a three-year absence from the public eye, Butler re-emerged on Alan McGee's Creation label for his debut solo album. A year earlier McGee had, in fact, dubbed him the "Neil Young of the Nineties". Butler wrote all the songs, produced the album and played all the instruments, except drums and strings, which were played by Makoto Sakamoto and The Brilliant Strings respectively. According to Butler, most of the ideas on the album were created in the studio, with only four songs written beforehand.

Drawing influences from classic rock from the late 60s and 70s, The Independent wrote: "People Move On echoes the early Seventies cool rock singer/songwriting era in its heartfelt sentiment and warm, melodic approach." Though Butler has stressed that it isn't a "retro record". The record has a Spector-esque feel, which according to Rolling Stone displays an "old-fashioned big-pop-production quality of the songs."

Reception

The album was released to generally positive reviews, though some critics felt that Butler's vocals were somewhat weak. One reviewer felt that "his voice doesn't carry enough weight to give the songs a killer instinct." In response to the criticism Butler stated: "I'm not claiming I'm a technically talented singer... but my voice allowed me to express a part of me I had found very difficult to express in conversation before." However, David Cheal of The Telegraph disagreed with other critics' views, saying "he hits all the notes and his voice has a distinctive quality."

Simon Evans of the Birmingham Post highly praised the album awarding it five out of five. He felt that, "Butler has at last delivered the kind of high-grade solo album he always seemed capable of when he finally gave up the celebrity sessioning." He then compared the album to the last output by his creation labelmates Oasis, saying: "this is the kind of tuneful, fun, album Oasis should have made after Morning Glory, until their ambitions expanded exponentially with their egos."

Andy Gill of The Independent alluded to the album's classic rock influences, and aside from "the occasional ponderous moment," he felt that "overall, it is a notable, and welcome, success." He went on to say: "Butler's sheer ambition hoists most tracks to their optimum level, allowing him for the first time to be defined by his future rather than his past."

Commercial performance

Singles released from the album were "Stay", "Not Alone" and "A Change of Heart". The album peaked at No. 11 on the UK Albums Chart. "Stay" was the highest charting single, peaking at #12. The album was certified gold in the UK selling over 100,000 copies.

Track listing

All songs written by Bernard Butler.