Don’t Believe the Truth

After a three-year wait for Oasis to release the follow up to Heathen Chemistry I'm sure you'd love to read that Don't Believe the Truth is a return to form. Back to the glory days of Britpop, teeming with modern classics like "Whatever" and "Cigarettes And Alcohol".

I'm sure you'd love me to write that. But it simply wouldn't be true. However, the good news is that this album is their best work since 1997's Be Here Now.

The truth is that Noel Gallagher could probably write a whole album's worth of "Wonderwall"s if he put his mind to it, but what would be the point? We don't need another "Wonderwall" when Noel is writing songs like album highlights "The Importance Of Being Idle" and "Part Of The Queue", two of the finest songs he's written in years. So what if one rips off The Kinks and the other The Stranglers? We're talking about Oasis, what did you expect?

As for Liam, his voice sounds great again, and his song writing has come on leaps and bounds since his previous efforts. "Love Like A Bomb" is a gentle acoustic number with beautiful twinkling piano and "The Meaning Of Soul" is another of the album's highlights. Imagine early b-side "Headshrinker" played acoustic, if you can. At only 1 minute 43 seconds it's practically gone before you know it, but still manages to leave you gasping. It's so good you could almost forgive Liam for the Standing On the Shoulder Of Giants lyrical atrocity that was "Little James". Almost...

Don't Believe the Truth is far from perfect. Andy Bell's Revolver-esque "Keep The Dream Alive" sounds like it was left over from the aforementioned flop Standing On the Shoulder Of Giants. What's more, album closer "Let There Be Love" is a typical Oasis ballad - but it sounds like it's looking backwards whilst the rest of the album tries to look to the future.

After the dust has settled, I doubt that this record will be hailed as a classic Oasis album, up there with Definitely Maybe or Morning Glory butit won't be forgotten. Hopefully it just might be remembered as the moment Oasis regained their sense of direction.