What’s the worst opinion anyone could have for an album of recorded music, that it stinks or it is merely not bad? At least “it stinks” gives the impression that something grabbed the listener enough to form such a strong opinion.

The trouble with The Long Way Round is that it’s not bad. To be fair, musically it rises above “not bad” but the vocals of singer/guitarist Tom lack any form of conviction.

I stop short of demanding he growls like the vocalist in fellow Keighleyites Random Hand but he needs a little more humph.

On Pressure Point he sings of his pressure point being pushed with all the gusto of someone mildly irritated at having an ear tickled. He’s much better at the joyous “do-do-dos” that accompany Message To You.

What he lacks in vocal delivery he makes up for in some fine musicianship and some of his guitar riffs are sublime and are matched by the rest of the band.

So The Long Way Round is not bad which is also the opinion I have of Paul Weller who, in my mind has produced very little of note since breaking up The Jam. So my “not bad” is obviously plenty of other peoples’ “quite superb”.

* Available from website myspace.com/fifteenstoriesmusic.

Graham Scaife