Always operating in the shadow of his brother
Noel,
Liam Gallagher had difficulty separating himself from
Oasis. Maybe that's his fault, since he retained nearly the entire lineup of
Oasis for
Beady Eye, the group he formed after splitting with his sibling in 2009, but that band never gained traction -- which had the unfortunate side effect of slowing
Liam's momentum. He pulled the plug on
Beady Eye in 2014 and spent a couple of years regrouping, re-emerging in 2017 with
As You Were. The very title suggests
Gallagher is picking up where
Oasis left off, a sentiment that also applied to
Beady Eye's 2011 debut,
Different Gear, Still Speeding, but
As You Were is clean and focused in a way
Liam has never been on his own. Proud classicist that he is,
Gallagher doesn't attempt to adopt a new aesthetic here, but thanks to producer
Greg Kurstin -- who won a boatload of Grammys through his work with
Adele and has also helmed records for
Foo Fighters,
Tegan and Sara,
Kelly Clarkson, and
Elle Goulding -- he does freshen up his sounds.
Beady Eye attempted a similar sonic shakeup on their final album,
BE, but producer
Dave Sitek encouraged a hazy neo-psychedelia, which is the sonic opposite of the clean snap
Kurstin brings to
As You Were. Clear and modern, buttressed with slight rhythmic loops and digital manipulation,
As You Were doesn't sound retro even though it is, in essence, a throwback to a throwback -- a re-articulation of
Liam's '90s obsession with the '60s. That production does
Gallagher a favor but so does
Kurstin's presence as a co-songwriter, helping to rein in
Liam's wandering ear and sharpen his melodies. Ranging from the icy onslaught of "Wall of Glass" to the stark swirl of "Chinatown," this is his best record in nearly a decade, and they add up to an album that illustrates exactly who
Liam Gallagher is as an artist. Now in his middle age, he's a richer, nuanced singer than he was during
Oasis' heyday, yet he's retained his charisma and, unlike his brother, he favors color and fire in his records, elements that not only enhance this fine collection of songs but make this the best post-
Oasis album from either
Gallagher to date. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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