Somewhat lacking in real character of its ow, there is nevertheless a certain charm to this album, and it's sure to trigger a nostalgia trip in those who came of age at the turn of the current century. [Oct 2019, p.89]

While perhaps not as emotionally loaded as Ordinary Man, Patient Number 9 better captures the mischievous, defiant energy of heavy metal's original madman. [Sep 2022, p.72]

These crusty old salts still know how to deliver solid, penetrating, life-affirming rock'n'roll. [Oct 2018, p.86]

Father's Day [was] inspired by his recently departed dad and explaining this subtly insidious album's overall reflective mood. [Mar 2015, p.90]

Crosseyed Heart actually delivers.

It's a bewildering but rather fabulous array of soundscapes, noise, arthouse street theatre, windswept melodies and jagged juxtapositions, which evokes Steve Miller's Macho City or Laurie Anderson's Home Of The Brave, But with a very 21st-century twist. [May 2026, p.75]

The Pineapples drift towards anodyne politeness at times, but their deceptively doomy ruminations reward close listening. [Sep 2018, p.87]

This album is absurdly in the red with ear-loading fuzz as Oasis at their most cocaine-blitzed. [Nov 2014, p.96]

Language Of The Dead is a 21st-century wake-up call, dismissing the knowledge of a civilised past and demanding we toss our "idols into the sea," to catch some of the rock'n'roll "lightning" slashing throughout the skies instead. At such moments, the cathedral-sized keyboards don't sound quite so fake. [Dec 2014, p.105]

A treat for the kind of sensitive souls who remember how good emo was before it mutated into the eyeliner-and-skinny-jeans brigade. [Mar 2019, p.89]

Accessibly challenging, this isn't Moore's very best day, but it's up there. [Nov 2014, p.95]

The Menzingers deliver an energetic strain of melodic rock and bare their souls on aging, alcohol and angst. [Dec 2019, p.85]

Gravity Stairs is not an easy listen, but it is worth sticking with. [Jul 2024, p.76]

Love Triangles Hate Squares is a forceful blast of passion-fired pastiche, but never quite escapes feeling like a cheap holiday in other people's history. [May 2013, p.87]

A curious curt selection with no obvious crowd-pleasers, but doubtless KC fans will rise to the challenge. [May 2015, p.107]

Despite the inclusion of unreleased material and early versions of Crime In The City and Ordinary People, there’s little here to entice anyone but the hardcore fan.

It’s well-meant but well-trodden, rarely exciting ground.

The guitar tones and drum sounds are worthy of a review in themselves, micro-nuanced even within a track, and set in a 3D space that both breathes and is right up in your face at the same time.

Everyone has done their bit to honour the music and the man. The result is a record that hums with excitement and does Miller proud.

A loose concept album that charts the lows, highs and subsequent recovery of its protagonist, sonically it’s punchier, angrier even, than previous records.

Almost comically explosive and full of exhilarating moments. [Nov 2018, p.81]

Grounded by explorations into dark electronica and swathes of cascading guitars. ... A coherent journey. [Mar 2020, p.88]

Taylor hasn’t reinvented the wheel here, but he has reinvented himself.

The best thing about Royal Tea is that every track could easily drop into Bonamassa’s live show – which is more than you can say for Redemption. Back on track in every sense.

Not just faster, but harder, too. ... Best of the lot is Loud. [Nov 2021, p.75]

Musically Caravan excel on the thick space-jam soup of Wishing You Were Here. [Nov 2021, p.76]

Guitarist Dan Hyndman's Marmite vocal could be a stylisation too far, but there's plenty else t love on this assured third album. [Summer 2022, p.79]

Despite a handful of anodyne plodders, it is difficult to dislike Simple Minds in this nostalgic late-career mode, elder statesmen with nothing left to prove. [Nov 2022, p.71]