Ian Brown - The World is Yours (2007)

Review by Lisa Dib

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Former Stone Roses front man, Ian Brown, has created an already legendary niche in his own right as a solo act. So it was with high expectation that I gave this release a listen. With trepidation, mind. Brown’s sound post-Roses has ranged from blues-rock to ambient electric, and I am disappointed to see less and less of the former on this CD.

Opener The World Is Yours bursts into my waiting eardrums with a crying bluesy riff, the likes of BB King. I am sufficiently excited. Brown sounds like an electric hip-hop Syd Barratt, Pink Floyd having done for Stone Roses what Brown and the Roses did for Oasis, as the circle of musical life rambles on.

The arrangements are lush, orchestral, even chilling at times, but I cannot deny my dejection over the utter un-punk-ness of it all. Fair enough, artists are free and willing to experiment with different sounds and genres as they like, and I don’t like to pigeonhole anyone - but when you were the front man for the Stone bleedin’ Roses, you have something of an expectation to live up to.

The songs seem to follow a pattern; open with beautiful string section, burst into ambient/rock, fade out with aforementioned strings. Unfortunately, the setup becomes tiresome. But, in true Brown style, he does not go down without a fight. He ropes in ex-Sex Pistols Steve Jones and Paul Cook for guitar and drums respectively on Sister Rose (Jones especially living up to his punk rock title) delivering the finest guitar licks on the whole album.

Paul Ryder (ex-Happy Mondays) also joins in for some bass magic, making it the standout track on the entire record, if only for the sheer awe of the talent therein. Ex- Smiths bassist, Andy Rourke, also earns his share on Goodbye to the Broken and On Track.

Listen out (and listen hard, she is almost indistinguishable, for once) for Sinead O’Connor’s cameo on Illegal Attacks. Seriously dude, if you get Sinead for a track, you don’t bury her in the same bloody strings you’ve used the whole record!

Me and You Forever is another brilliant track, but is densely and coldly creepy (“Come into the lion’s den, we’ll see what you’re made of then” Eeek!).

Brown addresses some tough issues on this release, no longer content to write of bitches and booze, he tackles religion, the plight of the homeless and the easy bet of the war in Iraq (seriously, 'Rock Against Bush' is so 2003!!). It does show a maturity to the music that is both endearing and warm, if not somewhat grumpy. Maybe that’s just me.

Brown has gone from punk-and-roll kid to a fine wine of adult maturity and, let’s face it, conventionality.

ALBUM RATING: 2.5 out of 5

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