Albums by this artist

Golden Greats (2000)

Ian Brown

Golden Greats

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» TROY CARPENTER | CO-DIRECTOR

Ian Brown Golden Greats Interscope, 2000 RiYL: The Stone Roses, Charlatans, Stereo MCs

Golden Greats, the second solo album by former Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown, boosts his personal discography to the same size as that of his ex-band. But while Golden Greats features some intriguing tracks and a healthy dose of Brown's trademark bravado, it doesn't come close to ringing in as powerfully as the Roses' era-defining sound.

As singer/co-founder of the Stone Roses, Brown helped unite the rock and rave cultures and influence scores of young British musicians (notably Oasis, the Verve, the Charlatans) with his breathy Mancunian vocals and detached, cool swagger. Both are amply present on Golden Greats tracks like "Golden Gaze" and opener "Getting High," the latter of which features some acrimonious lyrics set to an entrancing Zeppelin-esque riff.

The majority of Golden Greats is a mixture of electronic beats and textures, classic rock guitar and keyboard riffs, and Brown's thickly accented crooning. More than a couple tunes' lyrics deal with Brown's sixty-day stay in prison in late '98 for making violent threats to an airplane crew member.

Brown's sense of melody and rhythm is pretty strong, and to be fair, this album is probably better developed than, say, the new Oasis album. But the dense music blends together and gets repetitive on some of the album's less stellar tracks.

And while Brown's accompanying musicians are surely competent, and the songs decent, listening to his voice for forty-five minutes just makes me want to throw on the first Stone Roses album.

TROY CARPENTER | Troy Carpenter founded NATN from a Chicago apartment during the ambitious winter of 1998 with co-conspirators Ben French and Jonathan Cohen. After a five-year stint in New York, he and wife Lourdes have recently relocated to Indianapolis, where he spends days listening to music and nights in the kitchen at Elements restaurant. Musical heroes: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Super Furry Animals. What else makes life worth living: Sushi, Phucty, runs in the park, and the Atlanta Braves.