The Monkey Man is back to grace us with his third album. In a career featuring more ups and downs than an Olympic Ski Jumping final he has veered from iconic front man to being labelled a floundering joke with an off key fog horn for a voice.
Luckily for him he still has a devoted following who'll stand by him throughout making sure whatever happens he's here to stay. This time he's gone all cosmic on us and is looking to the stars for inspiration, in fact some of his lyrics could well have been co-written with Patrick Moore.
By all accounts his intention was to produce a classic in the mould of the Roses debut, a monumental task which this time around he hasn't managed. Musically it is by far and away his most complete offering but some cracks do show. It follows on from 'Golden Greats' in that a mixture of beats, bass, guitars and the odd bleep soundtrack his musings, albeit in a more horizontal fashion.
Lyrically while not gazing into space he takes a pop at cocaine once again on the cutting 'Gravy Train', no doubt a dig at the industry in which he's forced to operate. 'Forever And A Day' with its mixture of acoustic and all too epic Hendrix-esque electric guitars would be more suited to a bearded gathering at Stonehenge. However as recent single 'FEAR' proves he still has the capacity to hit the right spots, with its lush strings and chugging breaks.
Who knows if he keeps setting his sights high, aiming at the stars and swotting up on his astronomy NASA may well have found a candidate for the first Monkey Man in space.
