Jarvis

A lot of pop stars find it difficult to grow old gracefully, but not so Jarvis Cocker. His solo debut, Jarvis, find the former Pulp lyricist and frontman picking up more or where he left off with his former band, and the result is an album that befits a man in his thirties. In fairness, Cocker was always and astute and mature songwriter, with a keen gift for observation, so the transition to "serious" artist was never in any doubt. But still, it's a huge relief that Jarvis is so very, very good. He sings of love and loss, with perspective, knowledge, experience and, best of all, consummate ability. So "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time" is a pointed anti-marriage anthem, while "Fat Children" is a gloves-off attack on yob culture. Cocker is a great writer, and possesses the ability to make the listener laugh and cry, sometimes at the same time (check out the hidden track at the end for the finest example of this fact). Best of all, the quality of the lyrics is often matched by the strength of the tunes: "Black Magic" samples "Crimson & Clover" to fine effect, and "Heavy Weather" is downright anthemic. This is a superb album, one that should still be listened to for generations to come. --Ted Kord

The former Pulp frontman has been relatively well behaved since that Brits incident in 1996. Apart from this Summer that is, when he released "Running The World" on his MySpace page - a caution-to-the-wind dig at the pointlessness of Live 8, which features a gamut of unprintable four letter words and appears here as a secret track.

That track was a sign of things to come - tender strings, emotive piano parts and a very angry Jarvis.

Rants here include obesity, commercialisation and the overarching terrible state of the world today. Despite living in France with his wife and child, the lanky one has been keeping a stern eye on his fellow Englishmen.

The upbeat opening of Jarvis' debut is very different from that venomous secret track at the finish. It begins with a beautiful instrumental, which flows into the catchy hook of album highlight "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time".

There's a sinister edge to "I Will Kill Again", which at first appears to be a serene piano ballad until you hear the lyric "And don't believe me if I claim to be your friend / Cos given half the chance I know that I will kill again."

Sadly much of this album sounds plodding and bland, while his often bizarre lyrics can leave you cold. Pulp's full on pop tunes which were so easy to fall in love with are sorely missed here.

'Jarvis' is good, but it's not great. --Shalinee Singh

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THE DEBUT SOLO ALBUM The debut album from the former Pulp frontman shows that he's certainly not lost his touch since the glory days of Brit Pop. Cocker brings his trademark witticisms to a relatively downbeat album that makes for rewarding listening