A wise tale says that a leopard can’t change his spots. Perhaps that is the case. But don’t tell that to Pete Doherty who has released one of his most complete albums in recent memory with the new Grace/Wastelands. Doherty strays from the usual punkish ballad roots that defined his previous bands The Libertines and Babyshambles. Good ol’ Pete may have reserved the best for last by pushing the envelope and recruiting legendary guitarist Graham Coxon of Blur fame, Producer Stephen Street (The Smiths) and the beautiful resonating voice of Scottish singer/songwriter Dot Allison.
After numerous unsuccessful stints in rehab to curb his incorrigible drug addition, Doherty managed a six-month period in 2007 where he was reportedly drug free. Perhaps some of his strongest songwriting and melodies were conceived while trying to fight his disease. The Last of the English Roses features pervasive hypnotic drums under a Middle Eastern-influenced sonorous melody. Doherty delves enthusiastically into childhood memories by recalling looking trendy among his blokes while being surrounded by family members who have seemingly lost their inhibitions in the company of a good brew. She almost spilled her lager toasting girls of great beauty … but the closing moved by coming of age, coming alive All the boys together, And all the girls together …
Doherty seems to be writing an autobiography regarding his troubled personal life and his self-indulgences in the Palace of Bone. Perhaps he’s admitting in the song that his celebrity persona in the UK has encouraged his drug addiction and, ultimately, his own self-destruction. Winding on the hills together. Winding on that snaky road ...What’s that they tell you about your future they’re tellin’ you … they’re going to pick your pocket too.Gram Coxon injects electric-guitar distortion to Doherty’s ballad, New Love Grows On Trees, which may be another ode to cannabis plants. But Doherty ventures into blues and rock and roll to create one of the best post-punk tracks in the past five years. The most beautiful and heartfelt track on Grace/Wastelands is his duet with Allison in the tragic ballad Sheepskin Tearaway. Doherty might be alluding in the song that there are some inner demons he cannot control and that he has succumb to drug addiction. So Give Me your surrender … because there are other ways to kill the pain. Tears will never mend you ... except trying to dry your eyes in the pouring rain.
While Pete may have reached the pinnacle of his artistic game, Grace/Wastelands does falter at times if you take him too seriously. The aimless acoustic ballad Lady Don’t Fall Backward is a prime example of how dope can be a detriment to even the most talented of musicians. The track is reminiscent of a Kafka-esque nursery rhyme as he rambles on about meeting someone in Chinatown for opium and tea.
Doherty may have concocted a future Grammy award-winning hit that is an authentic reflection of his innermost demons while paying tribute to legendary blues artists, but the real question is whether he will survive long enough to accept the accolades he deserves with this effort. In the meantime, Doherty should try lighting up only in studio and unwinding with a spot of tea at night. Wishful thinking!
Download Right Now: Sheepskin Tearaway & New Love Grows On Trees
Grade: B+
