Review:

on 2011-08-17 CharlesMartel Said:

The Zutons originally hit the UK music scene with the sense that a breath of fresh air was wafting through. A combination of soul and indie seemed to herald a new era for British music, one which may even, if only for a time, bridge the traditional hostility between the independent and mainstream music scenes. Sadly, it was not to be. The Zutons never lived up to the enthusiasm their early albums generated.

Drawn from their second album, there can be no doubt that "Valerie", the single, was the best and most accessible track. The horn section provided some energy and urgency to the song, which bounced along sweeping all before it with its full sound and driving rhythm. A song to make even the most two-left-footed person in the world want to dance has got to be a good thing.

It was given a new lease of life a few years later when it was covered by the late Amy Winehouse. But her drugged out version was not a patch on the original.
Rating: 7/10