James Dean Bradfield - The Great Western

James Dean Bradfield and his mates may have been hanging around the proverbial block for a bit longer than initially envisaged; with Bradfield singing from a distinctly nihilistic song sheet that seemed to belong more firmly to the '4 Real' angst of his compatriots Wire and Edwards. Are you complaining? He should be. 'The Great Western' – Bradfield's first foray proper into solo territory - will inevitably draw swords with the Manics' repertoire, and just as the wild mood swing of On Saturday Night We Will Rule The World makes a fitting eulogy for the Welsh posse's glammed up punk-rawker adolescence of old, the unashamed Cars-like anthemia of Still A Long Way To Go throws down the gauntlet for whatever they do next. A varied album of guitar, piano and dodgy "sha-la-las", but over the course of 11 tracks Bradfield achieves an optimism that has almost always evaded the inherently miserable Manics. Crash and Burn? Hardly. [Dave Kerr]