Amazon.co.uk Review
Though Oasis are forever fated to live in the shadow of their initial success, they remain capable of producing exciting and touching music, and
Dig out Your Soul continues the upswing in their fortunes sparked by 2005's
Don't Believe the Truth. Unashamedly an album of two halves, the first part is heavily loaded with Noel Gallagher's tunes, including the pounding single "The Shock of the Lightning", a taut and pacy rocker nearer to the light touch of the Smiths' "The Queen Is Dead" than their usual Pistols-inspired power plod. The rocking "Bag It Up" shares nothing but a title with Geri Halliwell's already forgotten 2000 hit, while "Waiting for the Rapture" takes Lennon's harrowing "Cold Turkey" as a template, with some success. Liam's crude, sparky "Ain't Got Nothin'" holds up his side and his sprawling ballad (the only such effort here) "I'm Outta Time" adds another anthem to their repertoire. Even Gem Archer's "To Be Where There's Life", a bracing slice of undercooked psychedelia, is naggingly catchy. Only Noel's "(Get off Your) High Horse Lady", a pointless rewrite of Tommy Tucker's mod-era favourite "Hi Heel Sneakers" and Andy Bell's ungainly "The Nature of Reality" are downright inessential. Those missteps aside, it's hard to imagine anyone feeling shortchanged by
Dig out Your Soul.
--Steve Jelbert
CD Description
For their seventh studio album, Brit-pop stalwarts and general rock 'n' roll survivors Oasis have stuck mostly to theirguns, releasing a collection of bracing, swaggering rock songs with the odd moment of bluster throw into the mix. Though the hallmarks of the Oasis sound remain (Beatles-influenced pop with a classic rock edge), 'Dig Out Your Soul' is notable for the more riff-based songwriting style and the mix ofauthors. Vocalist Liam Gallagher contributes three songs, while his brother and guitarist Noel contributes the majority. Features the single 'The Shock Of The Lightning'.