Tim Booth

Tim Booth’s first solo album (but really mostly the work of an ad-hoc trio) lies somewhere between the snappiness of his former band James’ 1993 quirky-sexy single “Laid” and the otherworldly English pop that dominated the rest of the band’s catalog. Marred by an unflattering cover photo (the uncensored version in the album’s booklet isn’t much better) and Booth’s penchant for left-field lyrics like “I’m just ice cream/It’s all rama rama/I’m just space dust/It’s all rama rama,” Bone still manages to succeed. Maybe it’s the big, strong choruses that seem to rescue every errant song, or perhaps Booth’s distinctive husky tenor just makes all his strange word choices irrelevant. Whatever it is, there’s no denying that his melting vocal plea of “Please fall in love with me” on the nearly a cappella “Fall in Love” is a moment of clarity he could only achieve on his own.