Morrissey
Low In High School

It's time to get back on track for the nearly sixty-year-old Morrissey, who with this "Low In High School" reaches his eleventh solo studio work.

Produced by Joe Chiccarelli, it was partially recorded in France (La Fabrique Studios) and partly right here in Italy, at the Forum Studios owned by Maestro Ennio Morricone (who collaborated with Moz for the vastly underrated "Ringleader Of The Tormentors" in 2007).

Let's start by saying that, lyrically, Morrissey is (obviously, and no surprise there), always Morrissey, whether you like it or not: sex (in the crystalline Britpop of "When You Open Your Legs" – indeed), politics (a lot, as in the hammering chorus "exit! exit" at the end of the splendid "Jacky's Only Happy When She's Up On the Stage", a determined pop rock that recalls the best of "You Are The Quarry" and "Ringleader") and many more, as per tradition.

The atmospheres of this new work are varied and often stray from the main path of ordinary pop rock: the single (excellent, truly inspired) "Spent The Day In Bed" is a perfectly radio-friendly pop with a sober and essential arrangement, unmatched by any other track in this new Moz proposal. The initial triptych of the album mistakenly suggests a purely conservative record: we're talking about the muscular glam rock of the opener "My Love, I'd Do Anything For You", the pounding synth pop of the beautiful "I Wish You Lonely" and the aforementioned "Jacky".

From there on, however, good old Stephen enjoys hopping here and there and, although the quality remains at a good level, the album’s compactness suffers, and we find ourselves lost between melancholy and smoky ballads ("Home Is A Question Mark"), overly prolonged self-indulgent tracks ("I Bury The Living"), a dash of gospel, and even a hint of waltz ("The Girl From Tel-Aviv Who Wouldn't Kneel", which works brilliantly).

"Low In High School" is a good album, perhaps inconsistent and a bit uneven, but it contains a couple of gems and an overall satisfying mood.

Best track: "The Girl from Tel-Aviv Who Wouldn't Kneel"