Gallagher proves he’s still a capable musician
After the 2009 dissolution of Oasis, an extremely successful ’90s Brit-pop band from Manchester, England, lead singer Liam Gallagher has remained in the public eye more so for his crazy rock ’n roll lifestyle than his solo ventures.
Full of musings on his complicated relationship with his brother Noel (also in Oasis), to finding and keeping love and even commenting on current global issues, Gallagher’s latest album and second overall solo project, “Why me? Why Not,” released on Sept. 20, reminds us that he is still the capable musician who, just last decade, was fighting off English music heavyweights at the top of the British charts, for the endearing title of Britain’s top rock band.
“Shockwave,” opens “Why me? Why Not” with a riff in the style of The Kinks, complete with an assist from a harmonica.
“You sold me right up the river, You had to hold me back, You could’ve looked for the sunshine, yeah, But you had to paint the whole thing black.” Gallagher sings with unique delivery that has been compared many times with the likes of John Lennon and John Lyndon (aka Johnny Rotten of The Sex Pistols.)
Easily recognizable to Oasis fans as a track penned to brother Noel, “One of Us,” shimmers with a positivity complemented by orchestral strings over lyrics such as “Hey kid, did you know? Today sixteen years ago, It was you and I for the last time, You angrily said, With a smoke ring ’round your heads, You would see me on the other side.”
Partnering throughout “Why Me? Why Not” with producers Andrew Wyatt and Greg Kurstin, who, when combined, have worked with music industry heavy-hitters such as Paul McCartney, Beck and Lady Gaga, Gallagher’s already exceptional talent of writing infectious hooks and choruses has skyrocketed to a level where nearly every song is radiosingle worthy.
Benefiting immensely from this new-found partnership is the track, “Now that I’ve Found You.”
Further building on the uplifting, positive sound found throughout the album, Gallagher sings an ode to his formerlyestranged daughter of 21 years, “Now that I’ve found you, Now that I’ve found you, I won’t go. Let my love surround you, Now that I’ve found you, I can lay down with my ghost,” that will melt even the coldest of hearts.
In a recent interview with Apple Music, Gallagher spoke on the emotionally vulnerable theme of the track, “Once,” hailed as the album’s centerpiece.
“It’s one of those songs that you come across every couple of years, or once in your lifetime,” Gallagher said. “It’s up there with anything Lennon’s ever done, or Pink Floyd, or Bowie.”
Milking the lyrics, “But oh, I remember how you used to shine back then, You went down so easy like a glass of wine, my friend, When the dawn came up you felt so inspired to do it again, But it turns out, You only get to do it once,” with such raw emotion, Gallagher, now 47, connects the dots between middle age retrospection and youthful rock ’roll oblivion without being trite.