M.O.R [CD]

The very, very great writer Joseph Heller was once goaded by an interviewer who pointed out that he had never written another book as good as his debut, Catch 22. Heller just smiled and gave the legendary response: "Well, neither has anyone else..."
The very, very great band Alabama 3 could recycle this line with some justification, having produced not one, but two "best albums ever" (1997 debut "Exile on Coldharbour Lane", and the dark follow-up, "La Peste"), but they are never content to rest on their laurels. Every couple of years they turn out another fresh, original album that wipes the floor with just about all of the alleged "cutting edge" of the given moment. They are also one of the best live bands you'll ever see, and in an age where the adolescent shenanigans of Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty pepper front pages it's reassuring to know that somewhere out there on the grimy fringes of the night the Alabama 3, approaching middle age, are stumbling around in an absolute state, and no one is writing gleefully disapproving headlines about their substance problems...
M.O.R. is their sixth general release studio album, and as always, it's a collection of storming genre-bending tracks, tongue-in-cheek "spirituality" and hard drugs.
There's not a single bad track on this record, and there are a couple of mighty anthems, but M.O.R. suffers from the same problem as the band's "worst album" - 2002's "Power in the Blood". Power in the Blood received negative reviews and a lukewarm response from fans, but listen to it and you'll find tracks as good as anything on the exalted earlier albums. The same problem recurs with M.O.R.: 14 good songs do not necessarily combine to form one good album.
For M.O.R. is a bit of a mess. The bouncing dance beats of "Monday Don't Mean Anything" bond well enough with the similar sound on "Work It (All Night Long)"; the filthy swamp blues on "Amos Moses" is a comfy partner to the rough-edged country of "The Klan", but ensemble, they seem like a collection of random, unconnected songs. Almost every track on M.O.R. is stronger than almost every track on 2005's "Outlaw", but with its solid country theme, "Outlaw" is the better album...
There's also a problem with the title - M.O.R. (Middle of the Road, a la mid-70s Eagles et al). Obviously there could hardly be a band further from the middle of the road than Alabama 3, but they deliver the joke in half-hearted fashion. And with their best work behind them it's a dangerous jest to play, especially given the presence here of tracks like "Hooked", which, while eminently listenable, are a little formulaic (and no giggle-inducing D. Wayne Love outro can make up for that). The same goes for the Eagles-pastiche title track which sounds like - well, like the Eagles on an off-day. Of course, with a band as smart, funny, post-modern and ironic as Alabama 3 this could be the point, but it would take a particularly devoted fan to make that leap of faith.
Also, the fiery, pint-size bundle of gorgeousness that is backing singer Devlin Love might well be an excellent addition to Alabama 3's live show, but on record her Christina Aguillera-esque wailing is a poor replacement to the gospel choir backing of earlier records. And Devlin's vocal acrobatics only highlight something effecting lead singer Larry Love's voice on M.O.R.: his usual whiskey-raw tones are marred by a certain blocked-nose snuffliness that comes only to those who spend too much time in the vicinity of a white line other than the one that runs down the Middle of the Road...
But despite all that, this is still one of the best albums of the year - of course it is; it's Alabama 3 for god's sake - and anyone who complains that M.O.R. isn't quite as good as "Exile on Coldharbour Lane" or "La Peste" could easily be met with a paraphrased version of Joseph Heller's mighty put-down: "Obviously it's not: nothing is..."

Another masterpiece from the band, a constantly evolving sound, too complex to be pinned down with labels! Powerful songs with a social conscious that lift you spirit and make you think. The Alabama 3 are the greatest live band in the universe and this CD contains much of their live energy, if you don't sing and dance along with this CD please consult your doctor, you may already be dead!!

Alabama 3 continue with their ever prolific journey as a middling, doing-OK, never-going-to-rule-the-world act who, ten years and thirteen albums in, are finally starting to stagnate. The usual A3 ingredients, techno, religion, country and western, hardcore socialism, hedonism and Elvis, are all present and correct in droves. The melodic strengths, the hummable tunes that are the bands core redeeming feature are still here in spades. Maybe this album will stand up in decades time as a classic - but probably not.

Simply put, Alabama 3 are now entering their niche phase : selling a respectable amount of albums, doing everything as a small business, and generally getting by adequately with the odd tour, the odd record, and never setting the world afire. The records conform to type - you either know what they're going to sound like, or you've never heard of them. Stand out tracks "Monday Morning" and "Holy Blood" give you a pretty good idea of what exactly they sound like - unique and unusual driving bleeps and heartfelt anguish.

"M.O.R." is a strange beast : like other A3 records, it contains a solid, dependable selection of memorable songs that cross the genres to produce something new and unique. That said, it doesn't pioneer any new ground (by A3 standards, anyway). Producing a now somewhat dated template of bleeps and blips that sound forever 1993 melded to a deep love of gospel rock and 70's M.O.R, the album is the sound of A3 starting to eat themselves. It's a good, well produced record, surfing on the sea of an unholy amalgam of styles and influences that sounds unlike anyone else in the world.