OK, to be honest, I didn’t even know Babyshambles were releasing a new album. That probably has something to do with the fact that Pete Doherty’s complete fucked-up-ness makes it pretty difficult for me to want to follow his musical career. I don’t have much interest in someone who seemingly thrives on being tabloid fodder, and outside of a couple of good tunes, his Babyshambles debut Down In Albion was, well… mediocre at best. The final nail in the coffin of this ex-Libertine, in my book, was when Carl Barât released the brilliant Waterloo To Anywhere with his Dirty Pretty Things, perhaps a clear indication of where the talent had lain in the Libertine camp. Of course it’s unfair to compare the two simply because they were once in an arguably influential band together, but they do make it difficult not to, don’t they? So, when I was given Shotter’s Nation to review, I wasn’t expecting much.

The trepidation I felt when I put the album on quickly turned to delight; from the first jangling note of “Carry On Up The Morning” I was hooked. Shotter’s Nation is a surprisingly solid journey through the subjects Pete knows best - drugs, Kate, drugs, self-pity, and of course, drugs. Producer Stephen Street has cleaned up the Babyshambles sound, replacing the ramshackle chaos of Down In Albion with a clean, but not too polished, feel. Which is not to say that Babyshambles has adopted an entirely new sound, they’ve just managed to focus on what has worked for the band and to exploit those strengths.

The musicianship on Shotter’s Nation is incredible; replacing Patrick Walden with Mick Whitnall on guitar is a move that has paid off; Mick’s tight riffs fuel the album. Drew McConnell’s bass spends a lot of time in the forefront, co-anchoring the songs with Adam Ficek’s admirable percussion work. Most commendable, though, is Pete’s singing, also likely attributable to Street’s production. The sometimes off-key and often whining vocals from Down In Albion have been transformed into something bordering on a croon, and it fits Pete quite well indeed.

There is not a weak track on Shotter’s Nation, though special mention should go to the album’s closing track “Lost Art Of Murder”, almost certainly the prettiest thing Pete Doherty has ever created. Featuring folk hero Bert Jansch on acoustic guitar, the song comes off as a diatribe from Pete right back to himself: “Don’t look at me like that/She won’t take you back/Said too much, been too unkind/Get up off your back/Stop smoking that/Change your life, just might change her mind“.

How and why Pete was able to stay sober enough and out of jail long enough to create such an outstanding album remains a mystery. Perhaps someone or something was finally able to give him the kick in the ass he’s needed for years. While it may be easy to love a great album that you had little to no expectations for, it’s still astounding at just how good Shotter’s Nation is. Pete himself sums it up best: “This time around we hit the nail on the head, whereas with Down In Albion there were lots of nails flying all over the place. This time I was able to sing, and self-control was a bit more exercised altogether.” Let’s hope that Pete, fresh off yet another stint in rehab, can keep exercising that self-control successfully.
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Links
Babyshambles [official site] [myspace] [buy it]