Julian Lennon released his debut,
Valotte, in 1984, not even a full four years after his father
John's assassination. The wounds were still fresh and there were millions of listeners ready to embrace the son of a
Beatle, particularly when he sounded remarkably like his father on the stately piano-led ballad "Valotte," the first single from the album. Its elegant evocation of late-period
Beatles -- deliberate but not self-conscious -- invited some carping criticisms that
Julian was riding on his father's coattails when the reality is this: any pop singer/songwriter of
Julian's generation was bound to be influenced by
the Beatles. At his best on
Valotte -- particularly the title track, but also the caramelized psychedelic chorus of "Well I Don't Know," the tightly wound "Say You're Wrong," and the spare, simple closer "Let Me Be" --
Julian demonstrated a keen ear for
Beatlesque pop songwriting, drawing equally from
Lennon and
McCartney. At his worst, he followed synthesized '80s conventions, relying a little bit too heavily on rigidly sequenced rhythms and canned keyboards. These are the elements that date
Valotte, taking down some otherwise charming songs like the bouncy "Too Late for Goodbyes," but beneath this shiny gloss, this is by any measure the debut of a gifted pop melodicist. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine