What's Finally Becoming of Paul Heaton

In what is quite definitely his finest effort since the disbanding of The Beautiful South,  Paul Heaton at long last returns to some semblance of prior form with his newest "solo" release What Have We Become ... alongside none other than ex-Beautiful South female vocalist Jacqueline  Abbott.  

A fine point put there, as note: Heaton has struggled and flailed (though not entirely failed, mind you) on every effort he's made to re-invent his career as a solo artist.  Recall when The Beautiful South took temporary hiatus in 2001, his first attempt at a solo record, the aptly titled Fat Chance, was an utter commercial disappointment - even after a re-release effort was made very shortly after its initial release, aimed solely at trying to spark appeal for it!  Still, Heaton ignored that barometer, if you will, of things to come, shat out another three painfully lackluster Beautiful South albums, and then declared them disbanded - and himself pursuing a solo career.

That history in place, it's seems rather ironic that the missing ingredient he needed to make a decent record in the South's aftermath was simply another member of The Beautiful South.  And truly, What Have We Become is no slouch alongside any of The Beautiful South's finest releases. The record culls from the harder edged sound of 0898, but glides alongside the smooth and soulful jazz rock temperament of Quench.  "Some Dancing To Do" is about the most graceful Heaton's voice has ever been, and it reminds us of just how long we've been waiting to hear him sing something in the octave of "Let Love Speak Up Itself" again. "Costa Del Sombre" is playful and clever, and while the refrain is a mocked "foreign language as spoken by a foreigner", the track still has precisely the kind of sing-along grip that something like "Perfect 10" did back in the day.  Manage your own expectations here, however; all the lyrics are still penned by Heaton, and he's still kind of repeating his tried (some might even say tired) and true lyrical anecdotes, e.g. the relationship dramas of long time couples, reflections of growing old in the observations of youth, and social commentary on the state of the capitalist-political union.  The big difference on What Have We Become though, is the beloved re-emergence of the call-and-answer male/female vocal exchange that made The Beautiful South so endearing.  Heaton as a singular vocalist is not near as engrossing as he is playing a song character offering apology or - begging excuse! - to and from a female counter-vocalist. It's just plain more fun to hear him and a her, in lieu of just him.  And why not? He's quite adept at writing from both perspectives, and doing so serves to make his typically lyric heavy refrains entirely more digestible. 

By and large, what Heaton was failing to accomplish as a solo artist before has finally started to gel a bit here by the simple inclusion of Jacqueline Abbott.  While she certainly doesn't provide any fresh content perspective, her presence as a muse alone has seemed to remind Mr. Heaton of exactly what his fan base wants from him, and that is, whether he likes it or not, more Beautiful South.  And if this album ends up becoming the answer to the rhetoric of its title, well - I think we're all perfectly happy with this formula, even if sounding closer to how he used to is what Paul Heaton has become.