Loading ...Ian Brown – My Way
Ian Brown’s sixth solo record, My Way, immediately appears from the title and arrogant cover photo to be a typical Brown-esque statement; this is what I do, like it or fook off! However, there is more to appreciate here than simple Manc charm on a record with great hooks and incredible production, with Brown’s long-term collaborator, Dave McCracken, at the helm.
Starting with lead single ‘Stellify’ you are immediately in classic Brown territory, a love song comparing his beau, not totally originally, to a star. With its plodding yet strangely hypnotic keys throughout, it is not obviously a stand out single. However this promising start continues in a similar, business-as-usual manner with ‘Crowning Of The Poor’. It all starts to get a lot more interesting with ‘Just Like You’, which should be the next single and, more importantly for Brown, could be a club hit, not something usually found on many 46 year-old’s eighth career album.
The bizarre choice of covering Zager and Evans’ ‘In The Year 2525′ pays off, the horns and thumping drums interlaced with lyrics that are either prescient or nonsense; perfect Brown material then. When this is followed by arguably the stand out track of the album, ‘Always Remember Me’, the feeling that an album has been created which, unlike some Brown offerings, won’t be listened to once and then ignored, is strong. This song is clearly reaching for epic and nearly succeeds, the drums and maracas playing in your head for a while after listening.
Unfortunately the album suffers from an issue familiar to many 46 year-old men; it sags in the middle. ‘For The Glory’ and ‘Marathon Man’ are both routine offerings, neither inspiring nor inspired. Things pick up considerably with the penultimate ‘By All Means Necessary’, which sounds refreshingly different, with some excellent changes of tempo and a good lyric. The record ends with ’So High’, a title which makes you think Brown just couldn’t help throwing in one reefer-related song into the mix. This is one of the few tracks not co-written with McCracken, it being a purely Brown effort. Sadly you can tell. The most damning judgement I can deliver is that it genuinely sounds like it was written by Liam Gallagher. And nobody wants that.
Following the recent rumours of a Stone Roses reunion, a lot was riding on Brown’s new album. Would he be treading new ground or peddling the same old weed-induced offerings? Low sales, lack of interest and poor reviews could have made a lucrative Stone Roses tour seem even more tempting. However, despite some poor moments, this album is different to the norm, it has tunes and is musically challenging. The end result? You may have to keep your Roses t-shirt in the drawer for a little while longer.
Ian Brown is wicked, anyone going to catch him live? what do you think about the support at Goldblade?