Single Reviews by Mark Bayross
Re-issue
VERY BEST FRIEND was released earlier this year as a limited edition 7”, and was such a success among the Dad rock hordes that Noel Gallagher’s protégés have felt the need to re-release it, this time backed by two new songs.
Quite why they bothered is beyond me. BLOWN AWAY plods along so slowly that listening to it will make you think time had stopped, while STAY FOREVER at least carries itself all the way to the end, but, given that almost half the song consists of the band mucking around in the studio (oh, you guys…!), I’d ask for half my money back.
Better still, spend your hard-earned cash on something other than this tired old arse.
Original release
Proud Mary’s debut single VERY BEST FIREND is the very first release on Noel Gallagher’s Sour Mash label. Given the identity of their label boss and the fact that the Mancunian five piece have chosen to name themselves after a Credence Clearwater Revival song, you can have a fair old guess at how they sound.
This is ultra-safe Dad-rock of the most mundane variety, aimed at an audience who think Paul Weller represents the cutting edge of music today and that Travis “rock”. They may well cite Neil Young, Bob Dylan, The Faces and the Stones as influences, but this bluesy jamboree comes nowhere close to even the faintest hint of what made those musicians special.
The last thing the world needs is another bloody Toploader, whom – surprise, surprise – Proud Mary are supporting on their upcoming tour…oh the unpredictability, the excitement, the sheer rock and roll of it all…
