Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman - World Wide Rebel Songs
Whilst undeniably one of the best guitarists of all time, and with Rage Against The Machine an incredibly influential musician, Tom Morello falls short of greatness on his latest solo record.
Tom Morello, AKA The Nightwatchman, has released his latest solo album World Wide Rebel Songs which struggles to find some consistency.
It's not that it's a bad record, it's just inoffensive, which is the crux of the problem.
Although the rough vocals (almost spoken at times) could add an extra bite to songs, tracks like 'The Dogs of Tijuana' feel toothless and cliched.
To Morello's credit, this is a diverse record with the country-influenced 'Speak And Make Lightning' suiting his vocals perfectly.
Indeed, it's also on heavier moments (like 'It Begins Tonight') that his vocals suit the songs and raise their quality.
However, as far as punk-influenced acts go, vocalists like Tom Gabel sing in this style to a higher standard.
Morello doesn't play it safe, and 'The Fifth Horseman of the Apocalypse' is a beautiful acoustic-driven track that stands out as a highlight on an otherwise largely uneventful record.
The main compliment this album can be given is that, as you'd expect, the instrumentation is fantastic.
Morello is a stunning guitarist, and shows diversity in his playing throughout World Wide Rebel Songs.
The album actually improves as it goes on, the final half only harmed by the cliched 'Stray Bullets' and the utterly bizarre, funk-influenced (and terrible) 'Facing Mount Kenya'
World Wide Rebel songs is a frustrating album that, as much as you want to praise it, has a few poor moments that harm it's overall feel.
If the opinions put forward in this review seem inconsistent, it's down to the nature of an album that never really got going.
Some of the tracks here are fantastic, but the weak ones let it down, resulting in a decent, albeit unforgettable, record.
Female First - Alistair McGeorge
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