Liam Gallagher - As You Were Album Review
Eight years after the split of Oasis, lead singer Liam Gallagher released his first ever solo album away from his estranged brother, Noel Gallagher. The 15 track record is titled As You Were. Although the vocals resemble the once popular English-rock band, it lacks the lyrical depth in which Oasis’ songs provided a number of years ago.
Gallagher provided listeners with a variety of musical styles on this record which is classified under the rock genre. The album opens with a track which an auspicious track titled “Wall of Glass.” The harmonica and heavy guitar leads into strong vocals from Gallagher. His strong yet raspy voice sounds similar to that of Alex Turner from The Arctic Monkeys, another English-rock band.
Unfortunately, that promise did not last throughout the remainder of the record. Gallagher provides listeners with a faint Oasis sound, but the album collectively sounds like a stylistic mixture of songs from once popular English and American rock bands.
“For What It’s Worth” is one track in particular that has a slight resemblance to “Second Chance” which was released by Shinedown in 2008. In addition, Gallagher’s song claims the same name as the immensely popular and iconic song from the band Buffalo Springfield. Aside from these striking similarities, “For What It’s Worth” is a notable track on As You Were. The lyrics were surprisingly meaningful in this Oasis-style song. Gallagher opens by singing “In my defense all my intentions were good.” He continues after the chorus with an apology when he sings, “I’ll build a bridge between us and I’ll swallow my pride.” Although it is not official, there is sufficient reason to believe this song was written to address the tension between brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher.
It almost seems as though the singer missed making music and purely wanted to release something for the sake of releasing it. “All My People / All Mankind” is an example where Gallagher’s musical direction was clearly lost. Aside from squeezing too many syllables into a single beat, the lyrics fall short of having any depth. He sings, “Slap back you know what I mean / Fat cats in my pretty green.” The purpose or meaning of any lyrics on this track are unreachable.
Although it has not been confirmed, there is irony in Gallagher’s chosen release date for his first solo piece. As You Were was released almost exactly 22 years after Oasis released their most successful album, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? With an overwhelming bitterness towards his former band, it would not be surprising if the date was purposely planned by Liam Gallagher.
Seeing as a heavy portion of the album’s musical influence runs parallel to his ex-band, Gallagher does not necessarily prove himself in any way on this release. The anticipation for his first solo album lasted for over a year which only increased the expectations. Despite his trademark voice and a classic rocker overtone, As You Were lacks character and relatability.
Rating: 5/10
Jenna Minnig is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email jkm5756@psu.edu.
