Love Travels At Illegal Speeds - Graham Coxon

...soaked in a bucketful of love and dried in the winds of Joe Strummer's final resting place, its frustration at the song smith's favourite subject shines in songs such as 'Just A State Of Mind', 'You & I' and the overt 'Gimme Some Love'. The first two are as excellent a couple of songs as you will hear from 2006's crop of new talent.

Graham Coxon has become know for his acoustic efforts since the Blurry days of the '90's and its something ...
...will do nothing to change that either way.

Don't take that away from an album which offers little more than the previous: punk and love and loved-up punk. Imaginative, yes. Beautiful, in places. Appeal to new fans, unlikely.

6.5/10
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For a man who is exactly 16 years older to the day than a certain editor and is on his thirteenth album including seven Blur LP's, Graham Coxon sounds incredibly fresh. Regarded as one of the best guitarists of his generation, Coxon has spent the last few years establishing himself as a solo artist and he finally seems to be doing it well.

Following the relatively moderate success of 2004's 'Happiness In Magazines' and offshoots 'Freakin' Out' and 'Bittersweet Bundle Of Misery', the ex-Blur guitarist has produced another album with the potential to grace the higher echelons of the charts. Album opener and first single 'Standing On My Own Again' strays little from the previous album's direction but don't take that away from a single full of wistful emptiness and unreciprocated love.

In fact the whole album has been soaked in a bucketful of love and dried in the winds of Joe Strummer's final resting place, its frustration at the song smith's favourite subject shines in songs such as 'Just A State Of Mind', 'You & I' and the overt 'Gimme Some Love'. The first two are as excellent a couple of songs as you will hear from 2006's crop of new talent.

Graham Coxon has become know for his acoustic efforts since the Blurry days of the '90's and its something he has fortunately not dropped in 'Don't Believe Anything I Say'. Heck, he even sounds like he's got a great voice!

However, it is only this song in which he shows such vocal prowess. His singing holds a nerdy, aggressive streak in the up tempo songs and an insecurity on the slower efforts, both of which are fondly appreciated by fans and mocked by critics in equal measure. This album will do nothing to change that either way.

Don't take that away from an album which offers little more than the previous: punk and love and loved-up punk. Imaginative, yes. Beautiful, in places. Appeal to new fans, unlikely.

6.5/10
 

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