Ian
Brown: The Greatest (Koch)
In the late ’80s, Ian Brown led The Stone Roses to much acclaim
with one of the best debut albums in British pop history. However, once
the Roses disbanded in 1996 after only one more album and in a haze of
inter-group tension and record label mishaps, Brown carried on, albeit
largely out of the eye of the U.S. press. Now, ten years later, Brown
claims that his solo greatest hits far outweigh those of his former band.
The Greatest provides the proof. In 15 tracks and 60 minutes,
The Greatest consolidates the best of a post-Roses career that
saw more than twice as many albums, loads of singles, and nearly the same
career longevity as his previous band. While “My Star,” from
his 1998 debut, Unfinished Monkey Business, is little more than
Stone Roses-lite, “Can’t See Me,” present here in remix
form, shows Brown taking his first steps toward the dance-friendly, electronic
sound that would define much of his solo work. “Love Like a Fountain”
and “Dolphins Were Monkeys” from 2000’s Golden Greats,
delve deeper into dance, and later cuts like the orchestral “F.E.A.R.”
from 2001’s Music of the Spheres and the horn-laden “Time
is My Everything” from 2004’s Solarized, show a deeper
maturity in songwriting. The two songs he contributed to the UNKLE projects,
“Be There” and “REIGN,” are welcome additions,
and a new single, “All Ablaze” is more of the same. Ultimately,
The Greatest finds Brown making a statement. While he might always
be best known for his time with The Stone Roses, no longer should he be
confined by the trappings of his old band.
8 Blips out of 10 By Frank Valish