Tim Booth and Angelo Badalamenti
Booth and the Bad Angel
Mercury
by: M. Sullivan
Booth And The Bad Angel is the name given to the collaborative project by vocalist Tim
Booth and composer Angelo Badalamenti. Booth is perhaps best known as the vocalist for the pop
band James ( Laid, Wah Wah ) and Badalamenti as the man behind the moody, atmospheric
soundtracks of "Twin Peaks" and "Blue Velvet," as well as for his work with Marianne Faithfull
and Julee Cruise (Floating Into The Night ). As the story has it, the two artists met up
on a now-defunct British music show whose intention was to bring together musicians from
disparate genres. Well, by all accounts, it worked, because not too terribly long after
that chance meeting, this unlikely pair set out to make a record.
Together, Booth and Badalamenti have crafted a highly-textured collection of tracks. Rich,
lush and ornate, the project successfully combines Badalamenti's tendency toward the tragic
and darkly ethereal with Booth's energetic and upbeat pop sensibilities. The opening number,
"I Believe," is a catchy tune featuring ex-Suede Bernard Butler (who also receives mixing and
production credit on nearly half of the tracks) on guitar and percussions. Other tracks include
the dreamy, floating, "Fall In Love With Me," ("I hear the sound of moons falling/surrender to
this charm"); the poppy, hook-laden "Old Ways;" 
the hypnotic, psychedelic "Life Gets Better;" and
the steamy, rollicking "Butterfly's Dream," ("Drag my lips across these mouths/Drag my hips
across this crowd . . . I'd love to sleep/with the whole town"). In this unique collaboration,
Booth and Badalamenti take various elements of their respective musical worlds and meld them
into something entirely new. The end result is an engaging, atmospheric pop album.