I Got A Royal Flush, I Gotta Ten Bob In My Pocket For Luck (Language. Sex. Violence. Other? - Stereophonics)

Member Name: Andy.mack

Product:	Language. Sex. Violence. Other? - Stereophonics
Date:	19/11/05 (148 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A decent return to form, A very 60's sound to it

Disadvantages: - None

The Stereophonics seem to have evolved into one of those bands that people either love or hate. In the early days of Word Gets Around they seemed to be a decent Indie rock band that were going places fast. The second album seemed to be in the same vein as the first and things were really looking up. It was then that they released J E E P the long awaited third album that totally changed the bands direction and focus, but not in a good way. With the damage seemingly done they took yet another direction with 2003’s “You Gotta GO There To Come Back”, which saw them start to become the band they were in the beginning.

For this the fifth studio album from the Phonics they’ve merged the new direction from the last album with the simplistic rock approach of the debut album. Over the years it has been well noted that front man Kelly Jones has felt the critics haven’t been entirely fair to him or his band. It seems from this album that he’s actually taken on board the comments from some members of the press that they need to recapture the sound of the first two albums. In doing so he merged it with the sound from the last album and the result is a very 60’s rock album that has everything the last two have lacked.

Although I enjoyed parts of the last two albums I’m still very much a fan of the earlier Phonics material as it had a sound I could really appreciate. For me this album is where they should have progressed to after the second album, but thankfully via a much more round about way they’ve got back to decent sounding rock music. The last two albums have been far too mellow and I think that has been the reason they have come in for so much criticism. Despite Kelly’s obvious ability to pull off the slower, mellower stuff it’s easy to see that he feels more at home and a whole lot more comfortable with the faster paced rock tracks.

With this being their fifth album it was inevitable that at least one personnel change would happen as with most bands. As a result drummer Stuart Cable has left the band and been replaced by Javier Weyler. There seems to be a renewed optimism about the bands sound however and with this album going straight to number one it shows they still have the same, if not slightly increased fan base.

The first time I heard debut single “Dakota” it was clear that they had taken a different direction and if this was any indication I was going to love the album. Upon buying the album I found that I instantly took to a couple of the tracks while the remainder continued to grow on me. The combination of the drums and guitars have that sixties feel to it. The drums provide a solid beat throughout and combined with the bass and guitars the Phonics sound is certainly sounding much better.

I really felt that Kelly’s vocals on this album sound possibly the best they have on any of the bands previous effort. For instance on closing track “Feel” there is a real passion in not only his vocals but also the lyrics as well. This is reflected throughout the album and it’s one of the reasons it seems a new direction from J E E P at least. He seems to have got each song written to the bands strengths rather than writing songs he thinks will sound good, they seem to have worked out what they do best before setting about writing.

I’m sure people will find weak tracks on the album but for me this is one of the most consistent albums they have made to date. The likes of “Brother” and “Deadhead” really stand out from the rest and typify what this album is all about. They are both fast paced, lead by the guitars and backed up with a solid drum beat. The guitars play a huge part in the whole album and there are a couple of guitar solo’s that give the band a totally different feel to the last few years. With Kelly’s vocals sounding the best they have for years on a lot of the tracks the Phonics seem to have found their direction again.

Overall the band do seem to have found the purpose and direction in their music that went missing for a while. Whether this is because Kelly has taken the criticism on board or just decided he didn’t like where they were heading it doesn’t really matter. What does matter is the fact that in my opinion they have started to make decent music again. Perhaps still not better than the debut but it does push it close. For fans of Rock and the heavier side of the Indie market this is an album I can’t recommend enough. It shows the Phonics at their best and a welcome return to that best it is.

Amazon: £8.99
Amazon Market Place: £4.49

Summary: A decent album that see's them return to the early promise