Liam Gallagher’s third individual release, C’mon You Know, is easily his best solo record to date. The album is straight out of the Brit rock playbook and brings plenty of big anthems, sing along choruses, guitar rock and contains songs that are easily ready for the big stage. The other major difference that you will hear on C’mon You Know from Liam’s previous outings is that it contains a bit more of his honest soul over its 12 tracks.
From the opening song, “More Power,” you get a little different vibe from Gallagher as the song starts off with a children’s choir. The track then has a sincere Gallagher singing “I’ll admit that I was angry for too long; Oh, I wish I had more power” and then concedes “If you want to keep the things you love; Then you better learn to kneel.” Of course, there are some reasons to believe that this track is directed at brother Noel but easily it could be a mirror. This easier connection to the music is what makes C’mon You Know a much stronger collection of tracks.
The Beatlesque piano driven “Too Good For Giving Up” is memorable while the very Oasis like “Everything’s Electric” feels like the music Liam should always be making. This track was co-written with Dave Grohl and Greg Kurstin (Adele, McCartney) which is another piece of C’mon You Know that separates it out. Songwriting was never a Liam thing and here he collaborates with Ezra Koening (Vampire Weekend), Ariel Rechtshaid (HAIM, Brandon Flowers), Adam Noble (Biffy Clyro), and regular Liam collaborators Andrew Wyatt, Michael Tighe and Simon Aldred. It works – all the songs have a solid substance.
There is plenty on C’mon You Know that modernizes its sound, like its Motown-tinged gospel backing vocals, saxophone and Moog synths but it is rooted in a Brit-rock formula, which is honestly what I wanted from this album. The other big thing here is that Liam has a different and more refined edge to his singing. He brings the strength of his early Oasis work and leaves most of his snobbish snarl on the side. Still great for interviews but the need to prove himself I believe weighted down his first two solo albums. Basically, if you have been a fan then this record will check all the boxes. Is Liam Gallagher going to pull a bunch of new fans into the fold? Probs not, but he has created a record that holds up to his reputation and proves he is still a staple in the rock genre.
Christopher Anthony
For more of Christopher Anthony’s music reviews, check out The Fire Note
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Why Me? Why Not. (Liam Gallagher) – music review
- As You Were by Liam Gallagher – music review
- Council Skies (Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds) – music review
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