Stereophonics

Keep The Village Alive

(Stylus)

Two years ago, Kelly Jones pulled critics back on-side by showcasing a mature songwriting style on Graffiti On The Train, bringing in string arrangements and not simply feeding the arena monster’s hunger for more and more anthems. But to these ears the likes of Indian Summer were closer to contemporary Rod Stewart than the songs that once set the post-Britpop world alight.

Keep The Village Alive is an album that literally looks backwards. The songs here were mostly written at the time of its predecessor with an eye to releasing, in quick succession, a series of related albums. Time has passed, however, with the result that, a few exceptions aside, the two records are notably different.

On the negative side, the second half suffers from over-earnest endeavour: the words and music of My Hero melt into sentimental slush while the rhythmic punch of Sunny’s string parts is weakened by a rock-out guitar solo.

Elsewhere, though, optimism shines through. Jones seems to have sharpened the pencil he uses to write his stories, as well as rediscovering the flair for melody he lost down the back seat of the tour bus, while new boy Jamie Morrison underlines the value of his appointment with solid drumming throughout and an impressively muscular flourish on closing track Mr And Mrs Smith.

Alan Morrison