Album Review

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This is my first album review and it's purely my own opinion, not even that of my 'Phonics Phamily' and friends.

Language.Sex.Violence.Other?

Oh my gosh, this is a fantastic album.  It's the kind of album I always thought that Stereophonics were capable of and now they've really made it.  Proof is in the pudding and two number ones in consecutive weeks (single Dakota and then the album the following week) can only vindicate what I think.  It's a stark contrast to You've Gotta Go There To Come Back, which was slow and durgy - this is powerful, punchy, clean and fresh, but with the same ole Phonics sound that we know and love.

Superman

When the music first kicks in on this song, it starts a bit wishy washy, but when you get into the song, there's a really simple two-note riff that runs through it and makes the song sound more dynamic and heavier.  Turned up loud it really kicks arse.  I love Kelly trying a high pitched voice that directly contrasts against the punchy guitars.  Then it's the chorus that goes back to the muggy sound that the song starts with.  Despite what I say there, I love whacking this up loud and annoying the neighbours with it, and it's a great driving song for flying through town waking pedestrians with!!  And Kelly swears in it - not used to that!!  Can't wait for this to be a single to see if they edit that out!!

Wonder who this is about...?

Doorman

Undoubtedly one of my favourites of the album this one.  It starts VERY suddenly and punches you in the face. Kelly sounds utterly amazing on it - his voice is loud, proud and on top form.  I can often be found jumping round to this because you CANNOT stay still when it's playing - go on try it... I dare you!  It has a great flow to it and even when it quietens down in the chorus, you can feel it waiting to sock you one again.  It stops as cleanly as it starts, with a guitar solo near the end that really impressed me - not a normal thing for Stereophonics to do and I can see it being HUGE live! Fantastic!

DO NOT PLAY QUIETLY!!

Brother

Excellent little intro to this - gets your foot tapping, then it kicks into yet more simple but heavy guitar riffs to get you jumping about, and more show stopping vocals wailing over the top of it.  Another that will get the girlies in the crowd crushed and pulled out, I imagine!! Doorman's feisty little Brother this one!

Devil

I adore this song - in fact I think I'll go so far as to say it tops Doorman as my album favourite.  It's slinky and sleazy and sticks in my head ALL DAY!!  It's full of lots of little things like some speaking in the background that I've yet to make out properly, and some clean little studio additions to beef up the sound.  Kelly's vocals are doubled over to add further power to an already big voice.  The chorus is big and anthemic - it's the kind of thing you can sing along to at the top of your voice.

Dakota

If you don't know this song by now, then you've had your head in the sand!!  It comes as a lovely clean contrast to Devil, with a sailing flowing sunny sound to it rather like Don Henley's "Boys of Summer". It's a reminiscing song about the past, but more hopeful than perhaps some songs from the YGGTCB album.  You've got one guitar kind of tapping along and another slowly sailing along, which makes this a fantastic song to drive along in the sunshine to, with the windows down, and "with your wayfarers on"!  :)  This sounded so different and cheerful to the mainstream masses, as compared to it's YGGTCB equivalent Since I Told You It's Over.

A deserved chart topper!

Rewind

Probably one of my least favourites of the album as it just sounds a bit slow compared to the rest of the album.  Not to take away from it's qualities though, as it's still full of things to listen to - in a Dakota style way, there's one guitar tapping while another sings over the top, giving it a flowing sound yet again - I love that, I've always been a fan of lots of noise in a song - gives it an epic quality.  Much more improved move-on from Rainbows and Pots of Gold.

Pedalpusher

I love this song!  I know others like it less but heck I love it.  It's got this stampy, marchy tap to it, and if it's whacked up loud, Richard's really giving it some on the bass.  You basically hear all three boys on this song - Javier's keeping a great beat going, Richard's beefin' it up and Kelly's turning me to jelly with his vocals. That "push" whisper... mmmm!

Girl

This reminds me of an old b side from the early days - can't quite think what, maybe Carrot Cake.  It has that old three-piece band live thing going with it where it will be just as great on stage as it is on the album, without needing half a dozen other people to fill it!

Lolita

I thought this was gonna be about Lolita Bootsy, Kelly's little baby, but it doesn't seem to be - not sure who it's about really.  It's rather free and bohemian sounding "smoke cigarettes when we can, because we like to".  It's a slow easy going sit-back-and-relax song.  Lovely.

Deadhead

Royal Flush untouched.  This is great.  I often wonder whether we had an influence in this.  We met the boys in Bristol once and asked if they could play it live - they sounded really surprised as if they never expected us to like that.  And lo and behold there it is on the new album!  Oh well.  It's a song that was actually written years ago, I believe back in the Word Gets Around days and was never used until recently.  So it still has that old punky sound they used to have with a great bass line through it.

Feel

Oh this is magnificent - can't WAIT for this live - it's going to be like Rooftop.  It's long and beefy and full of potential for those long live endings they're always good at.