In the eyes of his fans, former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher can do no wrong judging by the chaotic scenes witnessed at his recent appearances at the Reading and Leeds Festivals. Now, As You Were sees this particular half of the volatile Gallagher brothers shaking off the shackles of “being in a band” to bare his soul as a solo artist in his own right.
Now, if you’re expecting the Mancunian to take the easy route with As You Were by rehashing the success stories from those incredible Oasis days then you’ll be disappointed. Sure, there is Oasis/Britpop vibe running through much of the album but there is pumping pop beat pulsing away throughout opener Wall Of Glass while Bold has a carefree swagger about. For What It’s Worth midway through the album Gallagher offers up the line “in my defence all my intentions were good” but, if you’ve seen anything of Gallagher, you can imagine his writing that with a wry grin on his face.
“I Get By” is more of an upbeat rocker. The soothing sounds of “Universal Gleam” and “I’ve All I Need” bring this impressive debut solo offering to a conclusion. Sure, As You Were may not be the sneering, middle-finger of a record that you’d expect from Gallagher. If you go by the news headlines, for a debut solo offering, it’s one that justifies the hysteria that the hype for his return has been causing.
Rating:
7/10
