81. Album Preview of An American Warlock in Holywood by James Booth & The Return

Originally Published January 22nd, 2025

About the Artist

These days, I’ll be honest. It’s difficult for artists to stand out. Particularly in the digital age, where so many platforms are readily available to artists no matter where they are in their career. ProTools, Logic, FL Studios, and more are available and affordable. There are YouTube tricks and hacks to create and recreate sounds, styles, and more. Plus, the recording industry is more than a century old. The planes of musical performance have changed significantly in the last century, of course, but how often do we produce something today that’s not ever been heard before? It’s impossible to do. 

Still there are bands, artists, and musicians who find ways to produce music that is authentic and unique; that doesn’t follow the standard pattern of what is “trending.” There are many ways to do this, but often times, this challenge falls to the vocalist.

Located in Southern California, there is a band who have found their authentic self. They’re doing something that isn’t going to be heard in mainstream music today. But make no mistake; they can hang with mainstream music. James Booth & The Return, who describe themselves as “The Prog-Rock Prophets of the Paisley Underground,” are fearlessly putting music out that is exciting, unique, catchy, and most importantly, interesting. 

Starting with James Booth, who is the bands vocalist and rhythm guitar player, I can honestly say his voice has a peculiarity to it that immediately points to references, but these people are a small collection of singers who are actually capable of sounding this good. First, his range is so unbelievably high, I’m sincerely jealous. In recent memory, maybe Nate Ruess (formerly the lead singer of fun.) is the only artist who is capable of matching Booth’s range. There are plenty of artists who excel in a falsetto, but that’s not what we’re talking about. 

Though the vocals compare to fun.’s, the two bands are not as similar. Instrumentally, James Booth & The Return could easily fit into the mix with bands like Electric Light Orchestra, Queen, and a more recent reference, The Darkness. Their are so many sounds produced instrumentally from so many places. They are primarily a traditional rock band, two guitars played by Booth and lead guitar player Taylor Kropp, bass guitar played by Max Goldman, and drums played by Chad McKinsey. There is very little provided by way of synth or keys. If it is in the song, it’s typically layered into the mix.

James Booth & The Return are anything but new to the music scene. It was 9 years ago that they would introduce the world to their sound with their debut album This Makes the Dead Walk, an 8-song, 24-minute release. They would follow this up 3 months later with Hard Strokes of Velvet Redux, which is 11-songs and nearly 50 minutes. 2017 would also be a dual release year with The Sky Hurts My Eyes and In the Gardens of Knight. In 2019, they would return with their 5th LP in 4 years, Third Star in the Sky, and in 2022, they would release album number 6, Postcards From the New Frontier. 

Amazingly enough, James Booth & The Return just released their 7th full length album in December, Songs From a Doll's House (In the Year of Our Lord 2024). Now, exactly one month later, An American Warlock in Holywood is slated for release this Friday!

About the Album

An American Warlock in Holywood is the 8th studio album by the independent rock band, James Booth & The Return. At 72 minutes and thirty seconds, it is a 16- song plus (spoiler alert) MAYBE a secret song, bringing the track total to 17. It features James Booth on vocals and rhythm guitar, Taylor Kropp on lead guitar, Max Goldman on bass guitar, and Chad McKinsey on drums. An American Warlock in Holywood is published under Boothtunes and ASCAP. 

About the Music

Musically speaking, An American Warlock in Holywood is a very robust, anthemic collection of progressive rock songs. The album begins with a Suite of 3 songs: The Great Divide Parts 1, 2, and 3. Part 1 starts off with a sample in an airport, with the introductory song fading in. Instrumentally, there is an acoustic guitar, piano, bass, and light percussion. Booth’s vocals come in with the same energy. Part 1 really plays like a Prologue to the album. Near the 4 minute mark, it starts to build and leaves listeners in anticipation. There is more electric guitar soloing in the background behind Booth’s vocals, and the drums pick up a bit. This leads into Part 2 which comes in much louder and faster building on the anticipated energy from Part 1.

Layered riffs, a more energetic ensemble performance, and a more amplified vocal performance by Booth really highlight Part 2. I particularly like the chorus. The anthemic resolve with the backing vocals, and a seemingly limitless range by Booth really make this track stand out. It might be my favorite on the album, honestly. 

After an anthemic ending, Part 2 ascends into the introduction of Part 3 which has a more settled feel. The three songs flow incredibly well together. Together, they serve as a remarkable introduction to the album.

The thing I love about this album is it sort of transcends eras. This album could play over the radio in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and on to today. It’s a modern album with an old soul. There’s not a single performance that falls flat but, the standout performance is absolutely the lead vocal performance by Booth. He has demonstrated a talent that is incredible to replicate. 

Favorite 3 songs are:

The Great Divide: Part 2

I Only Meant to Say I Loved You (Didn’t I?)

Any Love Song Worth Its Salt

About the Lyrics

Lyrically, Booth is credited for writing each of the songs. His writing style is as anthemic as the music that is being performed on this album.

I want to take a look at the lyrics for “I Only Meant to Say I Loved You (Didn’t I?)

“Will you forgive me my wilting roses and overtures unsought? I promise I won’t strike foolish poses or make some silly plot. Just five more minutes and you’ll never have to see me again. I won’t try to spin it, or prolong what we know has to end.”

I love this lyrical phrase. If I were to venture a guess, it sounds like the subject is speaking to their object and they’re simply trying to level with them. They are requesting to see beyond any grand gestures and they want to have a real moment.

“I only meant to say I loved you, didn’t I? Not to repent or stay above you, I wouldn’t lie. Like the spurned and sullen swan, I just sing of how I long for you.”

This sounds like an apology for things that have gone wrong. It seems to be clear the subject is referring to a romantic relationship. It is unclear if they’re looking back on a past relationship, or if it is in the process of ending, or if this is just an apology.

The lyrics are so interesting because Booth writes very complex and illuminating phrases and, in the story, is telling his object he is going to bring back the extravagance of their relationship and be “real” with them. This kept the song interesting and relatable.

Final Thoughts

I’ve already mentioned this, but the thing I think is so special about James Booth & The Return is that they are musically relevant on so many levels. Their music fits within rock genres for decades dating all the way back to the 60’s and 70’s and still could be played today. 

The instrumental performance of this band has both elements of traditional and progressive rock. The drums and bass performances prove that Booth, Goldman, and McKinsey have the discipline to be pocket musicians but they also possess a flare for demonstrating the eccentricities of their instruments. The guitars do it all. They can play any way they need to. Rhythm and lead guitars played by Booth and Kropp hint towards references to a diverse number of guitar players before them and still remain true to their own authentic sound.

Then, there are the vocals. I don’t want to “toot my own horn,” as the kids say (the kids don’t say that). I am 43 years old. I’ve been a member of the music scene and worked within the industry in one way or another for more than 25 years. I’ve heard amazing singers. Booth is an amazing singer. His style is unique. You’re not going to hear him singing pop, R&B, or any genre outside of the one he performs unless he changes his style. I wouldn’t recommend he do that. The most intriguing quality to Booth’s vocal performance is the upper range. It almost sounds limitless. He’s capable of so many things because of that. It’s the most appealing factor to what makes James Booth & The Return work for me.

An American Warlock in Holywood is a definite yes for me. James Booth and The Return have done a fantastic job on their 8th release. This album comes out Friday, January 24th. Make sure you’re following them - you can follow them on Spotify, Instagram, and Facebook.