Shotter's Nation – Babyshambles

Year Released: 2007

Label: Parlophone

Year Bought: 2007

By 2007, did anyone really care about Pete Doherty anymore?

I'm not trying to be out of order, but he seemed to go from being tabloid fodder pretty much every day from about 2004 onwards, and then, bang, he was gone. The Libertines were long dead, Arctic Monkeys were the new indie darlings, and Doherty's relationship with Kate Moss had come to an end as apparently she didn't want to go to crack dens.

A new young-musician-with-drug-problem story was filling the void, although, alas, poor old Amy Winehouse didn't make it out of it alive. So it goes.

Anyway, somewhere along the way Doherty got himself together enough to release a second Babyshambles album, 'Shotter's Nation.'

Trailed by the top 10 hit 'Delivery', the album got good press at the time, with the Guardian giving it the full five-star treatment.

Listening all these years on, and it's a pretty tight record with some interesting bits, but it just doesn't have anything that feels essential. That's what was so great about the first Libertines record and some of the early Babyshambles stuff. There was a fire to it – even if too often that came from a lighter under a spoon.

'Shotter's Nation' has some good tunes. 'Delivery', 'You Talk' (one of three songs with a writing credit for Moss)', and 'Crumb Begging Baghead' – which has a real '60s Northern Soul vibe – all do the business.

'Side of the Road' has a nice jaunt to it then the foot goes on the accelerator and it's all very 'Parklife' Blur – appropriate as both records were produced by Stephen Street.

There's still some remnants of the scratchiness of earlier, Mick Jones-produced records, but it altogether feels more professional, and, dare I say, cleaner.

Doherty's voice was never the strongest, and listening to this record you just think: "You know who could make all these songs sound better? Carl Barat."

Not a bad record, and definitely a worthwhile edition to his career, but this feels more like a clearing of the throat than a full-throated roar.

6/10

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