Morrissey
I'm Not A Dog On A Chain

It is quite a prolific period for Steven Patrick Morrissey, who will reach the milestone of sixty-one years old next May.

A year after the well-received cover album “California Son” and three years after the last collection of new songs (the good “Low In High School”), it's time for the ex-Smiths member to release his thirteenth solo studio album, titled “I'm Not A Dog On A Chain.”

Produced by his comrade Joe Chiccarelli and recorded in France (La Fabrique Studios in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence), the new work (as confirmed by Chiccarelli himself) pushes Moz into (for him) unprecedented and adventurous directions, without forgetting his trademark style. And the mission seems perfectly successful, to the point that we are perhaps talking about the best work by the British artist since the dazzling “Ringleader Of The Tormentors,” released fourteen years ago.

The opening trilogy is perfectly representative of the “new course”: “Jim Jim Falls” opens among the more uptempo Charlatans and early Prodigy, “Love Is On Its Way Out” veers towards Depeche Mode (as does the following “Once I Saw The River Clean”), while the nearly six-minute stunning single “Bobby, Don't You Think They Know?” (featuring the delightful participation of Thelma Houston) hits the mark through an electro rock with a psychedelic sax solo as a propellant.

There are also satisfactions for fans of the Smiths or early solo Morrissey (the title track, “What Kind Of People Live In These Houses?”), but they are few compared to the breath of renewal that is felt almost everywhere on this record, taken to the extreme in the sensational jazzy noisiness of “The Secret Of Music,” perhaps the most experimental track in Moz's entire career.

Morrissey scores another great hit and reveals himself as an artist with a great desire to amaze once again, despite the controversies that accompany each of his releases (this record also seems to be encountering distribution problems, in addition to a particularly negative reception from the UK critics). A truly excellent return.

Best track: The Secret Of Music