The media has been excessively hyping up Beyoncé’s latest album, “Cowboy Carter”, which her massive following eagerly anticipated. Despite the endorsement of some well-known country artists like Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and Luke Combs, the album fell short of the high expectations.
This is the second part of a trilogy that Beyoncé is producing, and the album features 27 tracks with a runtime of almost 80 minutes. It’s a collection that could have been a country music masterpiece, with big names like Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and Miley Cyrus, and Paul McCartney on a cover version of ‘Blackbird’. However, it doesn’t quite live up to its potential.
The 27 tracks are filled with pointless interludes that add nothing to the album. Although some of these interludes are meant to be like radio DJ introductions, they add nothing to the album but make it feel like a tough listen. I wish there were more complete tracks instead of these inane interludes. By the time I finished listening to the album, I was relieved.
There are a few good moments on the album, such as the lyrical content and the guitar and harmonica played by Stevie Wonder on the ‘Jolene’ cover. However, using autotune on some tracks didn’t work for me, and Post Malone’s track with Nile Rodgers was also a letdown. I didn’t like the cover of ‘Jolene’ either. It didn’t do justice to Dolly Parton’s original version.
In conclusion, I didn’t enjoy “Cowboy Carter” and wouldn’t recommend any specific tracks. The album isn’t worth the hype it’s been receiving, and I am disappointed with its overall quality.
I am not the biggest fan of Elbow’s music. I avoid it because I do not understand all the hype around them. This is the band’s 10th studio album and their first in 3 years. I am going to surprise you and say that I liked this one. It was the most un-Elbow record I have heard from them. I heard elements of old-school Kasabian, indie, Royal Blood, and funk.
My research said that the band worked hard in the studio last year to have this released early this year, and they decided to experiment this time rather than stick to their usual tried-and-tested method. The lyrical content has dark humour, usually related to romance. The opener, ‘Things I’ve Been Telling Myself for Years,’ immediately surprised me. I was surprised to find fuzzy guitars and a song with plenty of instrumental attitude.
Another highlight was ‘Balu,’ which, with its bongos, horns, synths, and driven guitars, somehow still managed to have a rock-n-roll edge.
I liked the bassline on ‘Very Heaven’ with the drumstick count-in at the introduction. The guitars are more mellow on this one. The whole track is easygoing, as Guy Garvey’s vocals are more in the spotlight. ‘Her to the Earth’ focuses more on keys. Again, another funky track. ‘The Picture’ is a sublime rhythmic drum beat over heavy guitar riffs and a key break. ‘Poker Face’ is one of the shortest on the album and a rare break from the record’s intensity. ‘Knife Fight’ is another highlight, and this time, it has warm and rich guitar riffs and lead guitar that are in focus.
“Audio Vetigo” is a huge departure from your typical Elbow wall of sound. It has shown their ability to adapt and get their name back in focus. I will still not become a fan, but I liked this one. I hope for more of the same, then who knows?
Song recommendations: ‘Balu’, ‘Things I’ve Been Telling Myself for Years’, ‘Knife Fight’
Let’s dive straight into the track-by-track review:
intro (end of the world):
This short intro consists of guitar plucking an orchestra and vocal layering as Ariana asks questions about being in the right relationship.
bye:
From the intro, Ariana has made a decision: The relationship isn’t the right one for her. She conveys this over a power ballad inspired by the 1970s fused with disco-pop. I also loved her cheeky lyricism, where she says, “This hook feels too hard to sing.”
don’t wanna break up again:
Even though she expressed about leaving the relationship in the previous track, in this one, she doesn’t want that to happen because she doesn’t enjoy it when a relationship ends. She mentions crying herself to sleep while her boyfriend watches the television and turns up the volume to drown out her sobbing. She also toys with his emotions, which breaks his heart. Look out for the infectious chorus on this one.
Saturn Returns Interlude:
Someone can be heard uttering something. I don’t know what exactly. I have no interest in interludes.
eternal sunshine:
We arrive at the title track, where Ariana longs to clear her memories of the toxic relationship that consisted of arguing, lying, and cheating. This track occurs after the relationship has ended and both have moved on. In the song, she expresses that her current boyfriend is all she ever wanted. This is a quintessential Ariana song, but it has been included to keep on topic with the rest of the album.
supernatural:
Over this beaming ballad, she discusses that even though love can be a rollercoaster, we cannot live without love. Mariah Carey’s songs inspire the chorus during her prime in the 90s. Ariana’s vocal harmonies are the icing on the cake.
true story:
She now goes full-on 1990s RnB, and it is no surprise that it works because Max Martin was responsible for producing quite a lot of this genre back then. It reminded me of what the late Aaliyah, TLC, et al. did in the 1990s. I also heard En Vogue on this one, too. As for the story, Ariana becomes the evil girl/villain, which is a humourous dig at the media. Rumour has it that this song started as a parody track and was used for a shelved comedy project, so it comes across as cheeky and playful.
the boy is mine:
Ironically, it has the same title as the hit by Brandy and Monica, but even more ironically, the song is old-school R&B. This track, however, is about stealing a boyfriend from another woman. Ariana has fun with her sarcastic delivery and tongue-in-cheek lyrics.
yes, and? :
This is my favourite track off the record. It reminded me of all that 1990s R&B fused with house that I grew up with. Lyrically and sometimes sonically, it nods to Madonna’s ‘Vogue’. It is extremely upbeat and rather out of synchronisation with the rest of the album.
we can’t be friends (wait for your love):
As you may be aware, Ariana is going through a divorce at the moment, which explains the narrative of the record. This track is about her cutting him off and trying to avoid the media’s attention while she deals with it. Look out for the catchy hooks and yet more brilliant songwriting by Ariana.
i wish i hated you:
There’s nothing fancy by her vocally on this emotional ballad. Instead, you will hear her voice in its purest form over a cosmic-like production. This song got the better of her as, at certain moments, you can hear her voice crack as she expressed that she finds it hard to leave him because she doesn’t hate him.
imperfect for you:
This one was a shock. Considering her age, I was surprised the 60s would inspire her, but this has a Beatles psychedelic phase vibe. Don’t be fooled by the psychedelia within because this is another heart-wrenching ballad addressing her issues with depression and how it makes her relationships challenging.
ordinary things (ft Nonna):
As far as I knew, this was the only collaboration I heard on the album. This is another ballad that goes full circle with Ariana asking the question she did initially, concluding that the simple things only matter when you are with the right person because luxurious and materialistic items will never conquer love. Who is Nonna? Well, it’s her grandma, and on the coda, which is spoken, her grandma is giving advice about what to do in a relationship, and if she feels she can’t or is uncomfortable, then it is time to move on.
Song recommendations: ‘yes,and?’, ‘supernatural’, ‘i wish i hated you’
As you know, the Stone Roses guitarist John Squire joined Oasis onstage in 1996 at their iconic Knebworth Park shows to play lead on ‘Champagne Supernova’. He also repeated this on Liam’s return to the venue as a solo artist in 2022. Back when John was rehearsing the song with Liam, John mentioned that he was in the process of writing an album and needed a vocalist. He said that Liam’s vocals would be ideal, and from there, Liam listened to the demos and decided he would be interested in collaborating with John. Liam grew up a Stone Roses fan, and in the earlier Oasis recordings, his vocals sounded like Ian Brown. The duo would head over to Los Angeles to record the self-titled album in the studio.
Of course, the project only came to light during the first month of the new year, when the duo released their first single, ‘Just Another Rainbow’ —a typical Stone Roses-esque song.
Once it was confirmed that the duo was releasing a record, Liam described it as Stone Roses and Oasis in their prime. When you listen to the album, that is certainly evident. As you can imagine, there are many Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who, et cetera, within the songs because those bands heavily influenced both of them.
As well as being a nostalgic record filled with romance, there are modern references in songs like ‘I’m So Bored’, where John attacks modern technology, expressing that we tend to live in our phones rather than connecting with the real world.
You can tell Liam and John had fun on the album, with Greg Kurstin on production. Many Liam’s fans complain about it not being full-on rock n roll. It was never meant to be. Stones Roses are more psychedelic, so this would always lean heavily towards that. Apart from finding the lyrics cheesy, I also found them quite basic, and Liam’s vocals feel strained and nasal over the music. John is excellent as always and has retained his ability to show his axemanship. It wasn’t my cup of green tea, but good luck to them.
Song recommendations: ‘Mars to Liverpool’, ‘Just Another Rainbow’, ‘I’m So Bored’
Well, it goes without saying that I am a big fan of Jools Holland; as you know, I discover many bands/artists through his show. Jools started off as the keyboardist in Squeeze before leaving to go solo while presenting The Tube on channel 4. He then went on to form His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra and present the Late Show’s spin-off “Later…with Jools Holland in a pokey studio in Shepherd’s Bush. The show would expand and move to Maidstone Studios in 2011 (The Annual Hootenanny still takes place there.) before returning to Shepherd’s Bush in 2019 and then moving onto the current venue deep in the bowls of Alexandra Palace, where the first television broadcast for the BBC took place. The show had a live half-hour midweek show until 2019 before reverting back to a show that lasted just an hour on weekends from 2020 onwards. Of course, the series during 2020/21 was locked down, so it was limited to one guest per episode discussing their music and their favourite moments from the show’s archives with other bands/artists performing elsewhere. Now, onto Rod Stewart. I have no idea when how I came into his music because my mum is a big fan of his, and during the 80s/90s, she would go to quite a lot of his London shows. I guess I grew up with his music.
As you know, Rod was in the Faces with Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, among others. He then decided to go solo, and the rest is history. He has amassed hit after hit and collaborated with a slew of artists.
You might think, “What’s the point of this album? It will be the usual compilation”. Well, I didn’t share that notion after listening to them talk about the project on the One Show and Jools’ Later Show. I know it all started after a love of building model railways, et cetera( Look closely at the opening credits of Later…with Jools Holland from 2015 onwards. You will see what I mean.). Honestly, I knew this wouldn’t be a compilation album with no love put in, because Jools and Rod are passionate about Swing. One thing that I was surprised about was the front cover. Why is Rod, with a whiskey shot, sitting in front of Jools, while Jools is in the background, sitting on a table leaning on an upside-down chair in what looks like a bar setting? This is supposed to be a collaboration. They should have been sat parallel to express this. The cover art gives the impression that this is Rod’s record.
As the album is set around the Big Band Era, the bulk of the songs are strikingly short, falling under the 3-minute mark regularly. This is how it used to be back in that era so that they could be played on the radio. Of course, songs can now qualify for anything up to five minutes. Talking of five minutes, the opener ‘Lullaby of Broadway’ is the longest track on the record, packed with brass, Rod’s swooning vocals and Jools’ iconic boogie-woogie. This is followed by ‘Oh Marie’ with more of the same, but much shorter. ‘Sentimental Journey’ is where Rod’s vocals hit top gear surrounded by brass and trumpets. Jools takes centre stage on ‘Pennies from Heaven’ with his band backing their leader. Rod’s vocals synchronise with Jools and his band on ‘Night Train’.
Rod and Jools have a lot of fun on this album. Where it falls down for me is that I thought this was supposed to be a collaboration. Too often on this record, I felt Rod was taking centre stage, and Jools was simply blending into the background. Jools is a phenomenal boogie-woogie player, but there wasn’t enough of that for me. We were not shown Jools’ pure craft on the piano. However, if you want an upbeat album for a knees-up, then this is it.
Song recommendations: ‘Sentimental Journey’, ‘Night Train’, ‘Oh Marie’
I don’t know how the title is pronounced (Tansk?), but you will be surprised. As I have mentioned in previous reviews, I dubbed the band “Energetic Rebellion”; however, this time, the band have kept some of that but has resorted to talking about parenthood, love, relationships, and political matters. Yes, there were smatterings of romance on the previous records, but this one steps it up to a level I wasn’t expecting. The volume has also dropped to a chilled vibe, matched by Joe Talbot’s relaxed vocals.
‘Roy’, for example, is more akin to soul. The opener, ‘IDEA 01, ‘ sounds ethereal and reminds me of Lana Del Rey’s style of music. ‘Dancer’ is one of the singles that features LCD Soundsystem, and you can hear that on the track. It isn’t of the iDLES ilk.
Of course, let’s not forget the band returns to their routes on tracks such as ‘Hall & Oates’, which is my standout from the record. I felt chilled out until that track came on, and I was shocked back into the room. Joe also aims for the royal family on ‘Gift Horse’, declaring his daughter is more important than someone in a bejewelled crown.
I know this album will have many mixed reviews because we expect the band to be full-on energetic rebellion, but this one takes it easy, and some people will hate that they have. For all that, the band have shown they can escape their comfort zone and show versatility. As I said, it is a record that is full of surprises. I certainly didn’t expect it. I would describe it as the band rolling a joint and taking it easy as they enjoy the weed. You could also say the band is on a comedown after experiencing an energetic high. One good thing from this is that the band will no longer be pigeonholed into just one category.
Song recommendations: ‘Hall & Oates’, ‘Gift Horse’, ‘Dancer’
I was astonished to discover that “Stick Season” was released in 2022, with the latest single ‘Homesick’ released last month. The album is named after autumn before the snow arrives in New England.
In 2020, Noah teased the title track on TikTok, which inspired many covers, several reviews, and comments by the likes of Maisie Peters, who I reviewed last year.
I don’t know much about Noah, but his first two records were quite poppy, whereas his third effort is all-out folk. This album is almost certainly folk. It sounded like a combination of Mumford and Sons, Hozier, Lumineers, and Vance Joy. Noah said in an interview that this is the kind of music that he prefers to do. God knows why, then, the first two records were pop. It’s probably pressure from the label for marketing purposes.
Along with Gabe Simon, Noah himself is on production. That doesn’t particularly stand out for me because folk is easy to listen to. It’s the songwriting where this album is at. You would think, as this record was done during the midst of the lockdowns, that it would be centred around that, but no. Noah chose a more reflective album where he wants to leave home, longs for home, and deals with the unfinished business of returning.
He addresses several subjects, including mental health, such as ‘Growing Sideways’ and ‘Stick Season’ of growing tired of home. The latter sees Noah talk bluntly about hating home. The record closer, “The View Between Villages’ is about when he drove back home. He feels excitement returning, but he also knows he will start to loathe the idea. It is apt that it ends with him on a journey because the album is life’s journey. In the beginning, he is angry; during the midway point, he is feeling sad, and by the end, he has accepted life. I found it hard to pick song recommendations because I like the bulk of the album. My choice varies the more I listen to it.
Song recommendations: ‘Growing Sideways’, ‘Northern Attitude’, ‘The View Between Villages’
Once again, this is another cliché. I found this band via Later…with Jools Holland, where they performed ‘Nothing Matters’ and ‘ My Lady of Mercy’. From there, I scoured YouTube, looking for information about them. I came across a review of one of their tracks, plus a little background on them by The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins. He does a review show on there called Justin Hawkins Rides Again. It has become so popular that he is taking it out on the road. I was highly impressed with his knowledge of every tone in the track. He also mentioned that the band are rumoured to be “industry plants”. Now, if they are, who cares? You can tell they are highly talented, so they would inevitably break through regardless. This rumour is circulating because the band had minimal performances before being signed. Skunk Anansie must have been “industry plants” if that’s the case. They were signed after four gigs. That’s how ridiculous this rumour is for me. I am sure Skunk Anansie was in the right place at the right time. The other suspicions are that they also signed to the prestigious Island Records, have over 30 million streams for ‘Nothing Matters’ on Spotify, and have had this album produced by James Ford, who has recently worked with Blur, Kylie Minogue, and Arctic Monkeys on their current records.
So, a little background on the band: They are from London. An all-female rock band (I beg to differ on rock.)consisting of Abigail Morris (Leading vocalist), Lizzie Mayland (Backing vocalist, guitarist, flautist), Emily Roberts (Guitarist, backing vocalist, flautist, mandolin), Georgia Davies (Bassist, backing vocalist), and Aurora Nishevci (Backing vocalist, organist, synthesiser, conductor, string arranger). I believe they also met at university, which is another reason people are suspicious of their rise. Fuck knows what that has to do with it. I like the name of the album, and I found the cover art quite eye-catching. The name might have a negative impact because it mentions a specific substance that also has taken its name from a form of joy. As everyone knows, I detest preludes/interludes, but there was a certain magic to them this time. There are two interludes. The title track and ‘Gjuha’, with the latter coming in just after the halfway point. Both tracks feature incredible vocal harmonies over what can only be described as booming classical music. From the reading, there is no clear indication that an orchestra was used, but it sounded like one in the prelude/interlude. You must admire the sheer audacity of using such music when this album was released in the mainstream. From this, you can tell that the ladies do not want to conform.
The band reminds me of a cross between Florence and the Machine and Elastica. Because of their sound, but also, Abigail sounds similar to Justine Frischmann. Talking of Abigail, her best vocal performance is ‘On Your Side’. However, that doesn’t take away from the other tracks. She is an outstanding vocalist.
The highlight has to be ‘Caesar on a TV Screen’. It changes throughout with different genres and tempos. Quite a lot of the tracks stop suddenly, but after half a minute, they come back in with frantic tempos, usually classical or a stabbing piano. The title of the record is quite apt. There are many moments of ecstasy. I was left highly impressed. It is pretty hard to believe that this is only a debut album.
Song recommendations: ‘Caesar on a TV Screen’, ‘On Your Side’, ‘My Lady of Mercy’
I have never been a fan of this 2012 X Factor winner, nor do I believe he should be No.1 after a bullshit technicality. The Reytons outsold him, but James got it due to a complaint from some jobsworth in the industry. I believe this decision has marred this week’s chart. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if corruption was involved. Unlike a fair few of the former winners and contestants of the ITV talent show, James has grafted away while they have disappeared into obscurity. He also has a mad hairstyle—a cross between Mike Flowers and Tim Burgess without the bleach blonde.
“Bitter Sweet Love” is the fifth album released by James. Although he has distinctly husky and soulful vocals, how long has he got before this no longer carries him? Yes, it is different from the likes of Ed Sheeran and Harry Styles, and I am going to throw an obscure one from 2011, Josh Kumra, but they are versatile. When reading about this record or purely people’s opinions, I heard it was full-on rock. Really? Where? I heard some rock but also plenty of piano ballads and acoustic moments. The album is quite reflective. ‘Free Falling’, ‘Just Us’, and ‘Is It Alright?’ have some hard-hitting lyrics, but that’s about it. I tend to like piano ballads and acoustic songs, but they made this record disjointed, and you drift away because they are too frequent on what is allegedly a “rock album”.
The opener is the title track, which unfortunately turns out to be a false dawn. As I said, the record needs to maintain your interest. The title track, however, captures your attention with its bombastic sound. There are a few more moments like that on the album. ‘Blindside’ draws inspiration from the 1980s, and the highlight must be ‘Comeback Kid’. Now that is full-on rock. His attempts at being political on ‘New Generation’ fall flat. It had a nice rock feel, though.
Listen at your discretion, but I’m afraid there are too many moments when your concentration drifts away. The Reytons have been robbed, and this record didn’t deserve to “win”.
Song recommendations: ‘Comeback Kid’, ‘Bitter Sweet Love’, ‘Just Us’
My biggest fear for the record was that Billie-Joe Armstrong was going to water down the lyrics like he did recently for ‘American Idiot’ during a performance earlier this month. I wondered why he did that. Was he trying not to offend those referenced as “redneck” in the original lyrics? Or did he just want to let the Make America Great Again movement know he wasn’t a part of their agenda? I was worried Green Day would lose that punk ethos after that performance. However, I am pleased to say that is not the case, and they still have that political drive we know them for.
The opener ‘The American Dream is Killing Me’ sounds very familiar, and that is because it has an ‘American Idiot’ feel, so that’s one of the political songs. ‘Strange Days are Here to Stay’ addresses the use of heroin but also attacks racism, Über, and what the bullshit governments/politicians promise to deliver and never do. ‘Living in the 20s’ was a lot darker than any of the tracks on the album as this talks about mass shootings, which happen frequently in America. ‘Coma City’ also addresses that issue but also attacks police for their unnecessary use of force. All of the above have anthemic choruses and will send the audience wild during live shows. The punk spirit, passion, and fist-pumping will be palpable.
They also take a sarcastic swipe at their generation and nod to the 90s classic film Trainspotting. ‘1981’ reminded me of the likes of Clash and the Ramones. The lyrics reference the Cold War and East Berlin. They even reference the present, especially on ‘Fancy Sauce’, which is tongue-in-cheek.
The record spans across all decades. ‘Dilemma’ sounds like the 50s rock, and if I recall correctly, the last album I reviewed of theirs was pretty much a record packed with that particular genre, which I said, at the time, took me by complete surprise because it was more their cover band (Coverups)than them. Don’t be fooled by this; the song swings from that to the usual Green Day sound continuously over a hard-hitting subject of addiction. There is also the gender-neutral ‘Bobby Sox’. There is even room for their love of Oasis on ‘Father to a Son’, where the acoustic is deployed over strings and brass, and Billie-Joe talks about the pros/cons of being a parent. Again, there are a few tracks like the above that you think have softer moments, where Billie-Joe adopts the acoustic, but you are wrong. At some point, they explode into action with punk, and ‘Father to a Son’ is no different. It works on the aforementioned track because it conveys both emotions of being a parent.
This album never stops. Like I said, even the gentler, more acoustic moments do not remain ballads, but full-on pop punk. This is the closest album I can think of to “American Idiot”, with its bite, sarcasm, and political and controversial views across a range of topics. Some might say it’s “safe”; I’d say it’s the band at their very best. I am still a fan of “Dookie, though. Nothing will top that.
Song recommendations: ‘The American Dream is Killing Me’, ‘1981’, ‘Father to a Son’
Honest Opinions 