Stereophonics

Let's face it, the last thing you should do if you want to make your music blog seem cool and edgy is write about the Stereophonics! Despite this, there's no denying the band's enduring popularity and they continue to sell out arenas across the country.
The Welsh rockers have released their best-of album 'A Decade in the Sun' this week, so it's seems like an appropriate juncture to look back on their career. They were one of the first bands I got into, and in my opinion their first two albums are absolutely blinding. Trouble is, their third effort 'Just Enough Education to Perform' sounded like it was from a different band. Sure, Kelly Jones' nasal whine was present and correct, but the invigorating rawness of their sound had been replaced by something more polished, mature, and lifeless.

I think the line at the time was that the Stereophonics had grown-up, and sales showed that the record buying public approved. I remember reading in the press that Kelly Jones felt the album was vastly superior to the first two, and even confessed to being slightly embarrassed by the songs from the first album. That seemed strange to me, as Jones was already a more than accomplished songwriter on 'Word Gets Round'. His lyrics were finely crafted reflections on small-town Welsh life and they often had a world-weary quality which belied his youth.

After releasing 'JEEP' the bands popularity continued to grow, with all three of their subsequent albums topping the UK charts. On the whole their efforts have left me cold, although I have to admit to being fond of their smash hit Dakota from 2005's 'Sex, Violence, Language, Other'. The thing is, I'm sure Jones is still capable of writing the kind of classic record their earlier two albums promised. There's no doubt the band have firmly established themselves as one of the most commercially successful in the UK, so maybe now there's less pressure to write Black Crows-aping, radio-friendly fodder.

'You're My Star' is one of two new tracks the band have recorded for their best of, and it's not half band. Sure, it'll keep the masses happy, but it also displays a warmth and sincerity that has been missing from the band's material for a while. Or maybe I'm just getting old!

Either way, it'll be interesting to see what Jones and co. come up with in the next decade....