Liam Gallagher

Why Me? Why Not.

Buoyant second solo album from Liam 2.0 Listen up, our kid: Project ‘Rebrand Liam’ is accelerating in 2019. After his sensitive documentary, As It Was, in the summer, here’s his second solo album with premier league pop producers Greg Kurstin and Andrew Wyatt (who cowrote Lady Gaga’s Oscarwinning smash hit Shallow, no less). It starts with recent single Shockwave, a sludgy glam cowboy workout which never really lands its lasso. After that, it skyrockets. Styles far from Liam’s stomping ground suit him, like the Radio 2 pop of Now That I’ve Found You and the orchestral space drama of Gone. His usual references fare better with superior songwriters too. Meadow is prime Beatlespsych, done as well as Oasis ever did, while Alright Now is supreme ’70s Macca (with a fantastic piano riff). There are a few other naff moments, but Gallagher’s voice carries everything, sounding fantastic, high and bright in the mix.