About a Boy

1	Exit Stage Right 0:21
2	A Peak You Reach 4:33
3	Something to Talk About 3:40
4	Dead Duck 0:46
5	Above You, Below Me 2:40
6	I Love N.Y.E. 3:20
7	Silent Sigh 4:44
8	Wet, Wet, Wet 0:42
9	River-Sea-Ocean 2:24
10	Spat 3:24
11	Rachel's Flat 0:34
12	Walking Out of Stride 1:48
13	File Me Away 3:23
14	A Minor Incident 3:44
15	Delta (Little Boy Blues) 4:00
16	Donna & Butzon 4:19

Barnes & Noble

It's no surprise that Badly Drawn Boy and Nick Hornby's novel-cum-film About a Boy get on like a couple of tykes. Damon Gough -- the one-man band who won widespread acclaim for his moody neo-psych debut, The Hour of Bewilderbeast -- handily gets to the heart of Hornby's story, standing in for the massive record collection behind the last Hornby-based film, the record store clerk romance saga High Fidelity. For this coming-of-age tale concerning an aging hipster (Hugh Grant) and a troubled pre-teen, Hornby tapped Gough to write a selection of sensitive, laid-back rock tunes, which he sings in a scruffy, Lennon-esque alto; also sprinkled throughout the disc are a handful of sprightly, graceful incidental music tracks. Gough's accompaniment is largely his own acoustic guitar playing, which stays just on the peppy side of the rock-folk divide, and his nimble piano playing, which sets a politely melancholy tone. Producer Tom Rothrock (Beck, Elliott Smith) throws in some delicious touches here and there -- sweeping strings on "Above You, Below Me," funky canned beats on "S.P.A.T." -- and probably has something to do with the Elliott Smith-like sound to the standout track "Something to Talk About." But About a Boy is Gough's show, and his easy musicality gushes through the bouncy "A Peak You Reach," the wistful "River, Sea, Ocean," and the folk-rock love song "A Minor Incident." Gough's About a Boy is as fascinating and coherent as Hornby's -- and both have boyish charm to spare. Lydia Vanderloo

All Music Guide

It was an odds-on favorite that Badly Drawn Boy's warped yet sunny vision of pop would fit in well with a Nick Hornby novel-turned-movie (especially one about a sensitive, literate, slightly confused man struggling with the responsibilities of most persons his age). Still, there were several unknowns going into the project. Could an artistic iconoclast like Damon Gough control himself when forced to conform by writing a set of songs for specific situations? Would his collection of eccentric production touches, pure honey to any introspective music fan, make any sense in the context of a highly anticipated, wide-release film? Could he even write an entire soundtrack, during an era when most artists hardly average an album every three years? While a first listen proves that Gough's songwriting smarts are so powerful and wide-ranging they work in any context (much less pop songs for movies), several listens are necessary for its real brilliance to shine through. In a similar fashion to the work of Harry Nilsson, his closest pop forebear, a Badly Drawn Boy song is deceptively simple; his pleasant melodies often cloak a set of sharp, thoughtful lyrics and many graceful harmonic turns. Gough's voice, emotional with just a hint of gravel, sounds perfect behind the Hollywood sheen of these arrangements, with Tom Rothrock behind the boards. The single "Silent Sigh" is the highlight, with Gough masterfully tripping over his lines and accentuating the title with his breathy delivery. It's the cumulative weight, however, that really impresses. Each of these songs works well -- even the tossed-off electro-pop pieces "S.P.A.T." and "File Me Away" -- in either the delightful context of the movie or as a stand-alone work. Though both artist and label hedged bets by explaining it away as an outside work and not the "official" Badly Drawn Boy sophomore album, it's difficult to imagine how Badly Drawn Boy could've improved on The Hour of Bewilderbeast any better than this astonishing work. John Bush

NME

"Ambition, imagination, charm and grace -- by any measure, 'About A Boy' hits the heights." [8 out of 10] Victoria Segal