Liam Gallagher's much-anticipated solo album has finally been released and it has already been labelled as the 'highest-selling UK number one album' by NME.
The younger Gallagher brother’s new album is a solid debut but doesn’t quite live up to his persona.
After more than a year of promotion, Liam Gallagher’s ‘As You Were’ is finally out. The album starts strong with ‘Wall of Glass’, the punchy first single. This is definitely the best song from the album and sets a few of his other tunes up for a fall. After the failure of his post-oasis band Beady Eye, many might not be expecting much. But on the other hand, the 45-year-old has the pressure to live up to Noel’s solo success.
Overall ‘As You Were’ is a good album. It’s not particularly impactful and certainly isn’t revolutionary. But it is a strong mix of rock tunes and indie ballads. Two of the best tracks are ‘Greedy Soul’ and ‘Paper Crown’. The latter is a melancholy Beatles inspired track reflecting on the 8 years since the Oasis split. ‘I Get By’ is an arena-ready tune, which shows his classic brit-pop vocals.
Lyrically, not much makes sense. But, the songwriting is held up by support from Greg Kurstin and Andrew Wyatt. If you look back on Gallagher’s antics over his career, ‘As You Were’ seems too safe, almost sterile compared to the singer's outrageous personality. Although a good album with some clear highlights, it doesn’t match his bold, unapologetic attitude that he is loved for. After spending the past few years arguing publicly with his brother, it is refreshing to see Liam’s much-anticipated return to music, but he could’ve gone farther.
We still love you, Liam, welcome back.