Most people will be familiar with John Butler Trio’s cruisy, funky sound, their message infused lyrics and often political content. At heart the band still has the same infectious sound and political focus, which shines through when listening to April Uprising, albeit with significant changes. Since their last album members have been shuffled around and replaced, bringing with them a new sound, making April Uprising the closest thing to a rock album that John Butler Trio have ever done.

Revolution is a political track with some infectious riffs that try, but don’t quite stand up to those produced by the Trio in the past. One Way Road is a rant about corporate culture, but ultimately the lyrics aren’t as important with the catchy chorus and fast backing. C’mon Now see John Butler belt out lyrics at a pace you can't help but admire, carried by frenetic electric guitar and funky percussion.

Ragged Mile features a bongo beat with almost intoning vocals in places, giving the song the feel of a jungle chant followed by Johnny’s Gone, the mocking tale of former PM John Howard, starting off with a soundbite taken from a news item. The track has a catchy rhythm, making the song extremely likeable, even though the lyrics aren’t quite as well crafted as some of the tracks.  

Close To You is a rocking track with great guitar solos, funky cowbells, constant bass and great rhythm throughout. This is one of those songs that make you want to tap your fingers, with your arm half out the window, heading down the open highway. In To Look Like You hears John Butler takes on the persona of a teenage girl; the result is a sad song about the pressure girls feel to change their appearance, and a scathing indictment of our beauty obsessed society.

If one thing bothered me about the album, is that many songs dragged, as if they didn’t have a firm enough sound. In fact, the album would have benefited from culling a few songs to make it a more enjoyable listening experience.  There are some very good songs on the album, but April Uprising just isn’t as amazing as I hoped it would be.

I’m sorry John Butler Trio, I’ve known you a long time and would like to score you higher, but the album only gets a 7 out of 10 from me.

Review Score: 7/10