So, how do you follow up a decent album in 2017 where your controversy continues to follow you like a dog without a lead?
Why you cover twelve songs from an assortment of artists from the sixties and seventies, throw in a few guests so the music press can ask them whether they were ill when they agreed to work with you and you make it thoroughly average!
Confession time: I had never listened to any of the original recordings of this album prior to listening to this album and even after it, I've only listened to Wedding Bell Blues, so I have no way of comparing these to what their original artists intended.
That out of the way; how great is Morning Starship? It's another typical blitzing opener on a Morrissey album which a crunchy chorus and wonderful harmony. This is followed by the dreamy, ethereal Don't Interrupt the Sorrow, serving as a nice antithesis to it.
Side note; Joe Chiccarelli's production on the album is lovely. When percussion needs to be clear, it's crystal, when guitars need to rip through your ear, they do, when Morrissey's vocals need to be front and centre, their inescapable. There's such a jump in quality between this and Low in High School (which itself sounded great) I was shocked to discover it's the same producer.
Back to normal review; unfortunately these moments are few and far between. Wedding Bell Blues is a wonderful three minute ditty where Billy Joel Armstrong of Green Day appears for a cuppa tea for some harmonies giving the already camp song a much appreciated shot of homo-erotica. Prior to this is It's Over featuring Laura Pergolizzi who's operatic wails give the song some additional punch.
The album concluding on the dark menacing Some Say I Got Devil which musically stands apart from the rest, the other tracks are mostly padding to the run time. Just prior to Some Say... are the worst offenders of total filler which don't offer anything new musically. Lenny's Theme in particular just plods along and with Some Say... following it makes the sunny sounding California Son end on an unintentional damp squib.
Sadly, as much as I like the production (other reviews call it overblown which I do understand), as passionate as Morrissey sounds on the album and as quick as the album flies by, the memorable tracks are too few, the unmemorable too many and ultimately, I'd dare say it's one of Morrissey's more disappointing releases, easily his worst this century.
Hopefully it will stay that way and not descend into a "worst so far".
5/10
H
@Retcon_Nation
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