It may surprise some that Morrissey's solo career has already been longer than the band which gained worldwide notoriety, the Smiths. But, unlike the band's consistent high level of productivity, Morrissey's solo career has been plagued with inconsistency - he'll always remain in the shadow of his prior work with Johnny Marr. His latest release, Southpaw Grammar, falls into that middle range of his solo efforts.
The first indication that Morrissey has consciously decided to switch gears is on the leadoff track, "The Teachers Are Afraid of the Pupils". Clocking in at more than eleven minutes, this reminds one of a possible throw-away session from U2's "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me". The operatic noises are bound to overwhelm those listeners who prefer Morrissey's slower works, but this author remains convinced that his voice and cutting lyrics work best with a solid, fast musical backing.
Luckily, the rest of the album's eight songs opt for this rock sound. The first singles, "The Boy Racer" (U.S.) and "Dagenham Dave" (U.K.), are weaker-than-expected, and arguably his worst "first" solo singles from any of his albums. The problem isn't the songs - they're solid enough, but they don't have the hook that Morrissey has become known for. "Boy Racer", specifically, builds up to a crescendo that never comes, and almost seems like a second generation band whose idol was the Smiths. "The Operation" takes its opening drum riff from "The Queen Is Dead", and "Dagenham Dave" opens quite similarly to R.E.M.'s "Get Up".
Any of the "fast seven" could become singles, depending on the whim of the moment, and in and of itself, that bodes well for Southpaw Grammar; how many albums can boast seven singles? The problem with Morrissey is that he has established such a high level of excellence, when all cylinders are clicking, that anything less than his best pales in comparison. Ignoring his Smiths' works (which is an unfair comparison for anyone, including Morrissey), Viva Hate and Your Arsenal are true standout albums. Unfortunately, Southpaw Grammar can't match up to these two, and in fact is a pale imitation of Morrissey at his best.
If this was a brand new artist, we'd call it a promising debut, once they could take the songs to the "next level". But Morrissey isn't afforded this cushion, both among his fans and the media. Ignoring his compilation albums, it stands firmly in the middle of his solo work; worse than the aforementioned two albums, and better than Vauxhall and I and Kill Uncle. And some of Morrissey's uniqueness - which helped build his sensational fan base - appears to have worn off.
