The Gallagher goodwill pendulum swung back in Liam’s favour when he released his first solo album in 2017.
As You Were, a solid collection that punched no harder than the back end of the Oasis back catalogue but was certainly significantly better than his offcuts band Beady Eye, far outsold Noel Gallagher’s album that same autumn, while the songs fitted fine next to the Nineties classics he was belting out on tour.
Not that he was ever short of swagger but he sounds 10 feet tall as he returns, roaring “Hallelujah, I feel free!” over the brutal riffing of Shockwave. He also swaps his confrontational demeanour for pure happiness on songs such as the poppy, lightweight Now That I’ve Found You and the harmonious Alright Now.
No one will be expecting musical surprises this far into the 46-year-old’s career (the Oasis debut, Definitely Maybe, just celebrated its 25th birthday). He’s still a man for whom sonic adventurousness means sounding like late- rather than early-period Beatles. The psychedelic phasing effect on his vocals on Meadow approaches parody. It’s easy to hear I Am The Walrus in the powerful strings of the title track, and Lady Madonna in the energetic piano pounding of Halo, which mixes things up by simultaneously sounding like Let’s Spend the Night Together by The Rolling Stones.
It’s what he does best, bringing overfamiliar rock ’n’ roll into the present day and giving it extra bite with that inimitable singing style. And now that he’s back on top, he’s doing it with the fullest confidence once more.
