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Stone Roses fans who haven't tracked Brown's musical progress after that band's breakup will find much to love on Solarized, another mini-masterpiece that perfectly balances mood and melody.
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Though one can't help but miss the complementing presence of Stone Roses guitarist/songwriter John Squire, "Solarized" is a strong and enjoyable offering from this Manchester icon.
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Yet another endearingly eccentric document: one that will largely support his growing reputation as a talented, contrary, and mischievously erratic artiste.
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FilterThe entire disc is marked by diversity and ingenuity. [#13, p.96]
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The album's production, particularly the insistence on pinning Brown's hazy croon way on top of the mix, too often dulls any punch the music would otherwise have.
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MojoThere's a freshness uncommon to fortysomething men two decades into their career. [Oct 2004, p.110]
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Brings to mind an image of someone stuck on a treadmill who has been fooled into believing that he's actually moving forward.
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Paste MagazineAt times convoluted, Solarized can be a bit of a puzzle, but there are precious few pieces missing from this set. [#14, p.115]
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There's nothing terribly new to the electro-psych sound he's worked up for himself-- it actually throws back quite a bit to the Roses-- but here he has a clutch of great melodies for him to hang his honey-dipped voice on, and he delivers those nicely.
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Solarized finds Brown regaining the melodic sense that eluded him on most of [Music Of The Spheres].
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Q MagazineMusically and lyrically, this has the same hazy, starry-eyed feel [as Music Of The Spheres]. [Oct 2004, p.121]
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Most of Solarized sounds like a so-so Portishead record with perfect cheekbones, an expensive haircut and rock-star airheadedness even Noel Gallagher couldn't manage.
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Solarized is unlikely to win or lose Brown many fans, but the world of music would certainly be a duller place without him.
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Too mystical by half, perhaps, but streets ahead of former Stone Rose John Squire's plain-Jane rock.
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UncutHe falls well short thanks to a dated, home-cooked sound and and the earth-bound mundanity of his collaborators. [Nov 2004, p.119]
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Under The RadarThe strongest and most ambitious record of Ian Brown's solo career. [#8, p.105]
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UrbHas more in common with Oasis than anything else. [Mar 2005, p.110]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 22 out of 26
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Mixed: 0 out of 26
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Negative: 4 out of 26
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RobertB.Jun 28, 2007In a class of his own!!!!!!
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NorthFreedomFighterApr 5, 2005
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patcMar 28, 2005