SINGLE REVIEW: Ian Brown, "My Star" (Polydor UK)
- Tim Kennedy
The return of the singer from the notorious Stone Roses comes in the form of a curious but welcome offering.
Lead track "My Star" opens with astronauts chatting, and then bursts into a riff which immediately recalls "Dear Prudence" from the Beatles White Album, though more the Banshees' cover than the original. The lyric is a madcap excursion into NASA Mars shots, and seems to allude to military purposes and conspiracy theory. "I'll see you in my star", croons Ian mysteriously. The guitar, supplied by the ill-fated replacement Roses guitarist Aziz Ibrahim, is excellent, his solo exquisite. Marvellous stuff. The drumming is excellent and above all the singing is of sound quality, accepting that Brown is no Robert Plant.
Second track "See The Dawn" is psychedelia in the vein of such obscure '60s nuggets as "My White Bicycle" by Tomorrow (Who? What do you mean who??) Ian indulges in a little freeform 'rapping' towards the end of this trippy number, cryptically muttering along. The musical references are very tasteful and once again this is a fine song, well played and well sung.
The third, "Fourteen" is a drum 'n' bass - or rather just drum - experiment, which may or may not appeal to those who appreciate such things. It speeds up and slows down rather worryingly.
This is a great taster for the soon-to-be-released opus Unfinished Monkey Business.
