Your cheatin voice

I’ve always said Billy Bob Thornton’s a great actor, even if he’s just in supporting roles. That’s a good, honorable job and you can find stellar folks like Illeana Douglas, William H Macy and Philip Seymour Hoffman there. They’re too offbeat looking for lead roles and too good not to get any acting jobs. Even in the forgettable “Bandits” Thornton shines as a hypochondriac thief. The repugnant Bruce Willis steals too much limelight though. Thornton has this magical voice too, that could recite the phonebook and have me in raptures. His last album was not spectacular but used that deep, dark baritone well.
The only one who can rival it in the acting profession is Michael Wincott (the baddie in “Strange Days” and the first “The Crow).

This record doesn’t work, sadly. He tries to sing like a rock singer and loses focus.
He becomes as dull as Bryan Adams. This album has a whopping 16 tracks. Have mercy; Billy Bob. Thus we get sensitively rockin’ tracks and worn-out covers.
“The Desperate One” does a good job of singing to the woman that left.(Angelina?)
It has a catchy chorus and a neat guitar riff. “I waited for the blood that you promised me you would let” he sings, creepily. Are you a vampire Mr. Thornton? Hmm, better give Joss Whedon a call.
The cover of “Everbody’s Talking” brings out the best in the Voice. Makes me think I’m being too nasty to this cd. Still, the arrangement overdoes the use of strings and things get too schmaltzy for my tastes.

“The Edge of the world” is a mid-paced song with a cheesy organ and Thornton emphasizing each syllable making me think he has an important message. He doesn’t.
“You watched me fall off the edge of the world” he intones at that woman that left as a celestial choir backs him up. Yeah, he’s lonely all right.
“Savior” is a relatively simple song that is not over-arranged or square. It’s one of the better things here with some clever words about “The phone looks like a cobra on the table”. We’ve all been there I’m sure.
Elsewhere things are just too predictably safe and middle of the road to concern anyone.

Thornton’s very talented but this wont do. He should focus on acting or just make a record in an acoustic setting. With the Voice as intimate and close as recording technology can make it.