NME, which once named Morrissey “one of the most influential artists ever,” gave the release it’s most glowing review of 9/10. “Still,” Hogan continues, “at times the intricate arrangements come across as a means of covering up unmemorable songwriting.”
“As ever, it’s most evident in his nonverbal tics - the way he stretches out the word ‘ways’ into umpteen syllables on ‘Staircase at the University,’ and … how he melismatically unfurls ‘cries’ on ‘The Bullfighter Dies,’ another cheerfully morbid song cheering the perfectly Morrissey-esque subject of the title.” “Morrissey’s golden vibrato also sounds gloriously undamaged by his recent medical woes,” said Pitchfork‘s Marc Hogan in his mixed 5.9/10 review. (And possibly even the tone of his singing voice: his lethal sigh, his croon.)” Praising the singer’s voice, which weaves through his artwork no matter the medium, Ratliff said: “That writing voice, through its deliberate rhetoric and vocabulary and syntax, has seemed to generate nearly everything about him, from the Smiths’ first single to now: his empathy, his sense of his own difference and isolation, his confiding and controlling positions. “Being misunderstood is Morrissey’s great joy in life, as he keeps proving in World Peace - a much stronger album than fans were expecting at this point,” says Rolling Stone‘s Rob Sheffield, awarding it 3.5 of 5 stars.Īccording to Sheffield, Moz’ s two “stunners” appear at the end of the record: “‘Mountjoy’ is his dear-hero-imprisoned lament for the late Irish writer Brendan Behan, and ‘Oboe Concerto’ resembles the Smiths classic ‘Death of a Disco Dancer,’ as Morrissey mourns the dead companions of his youth, singing, ‘All I do is drink to absent friends.’ ”Īccording to The New York Times‘ Ben Ratliff, World Peace “is not a good record, but, on the other hand, it is almost a perfect one.” PHOTOS: And Then There Was One… Music’s Most Successful Breakout Solo Acts If he’s losing touch, he’s singing better than ever, and he’s still capable of delivering the occasional stunner.” From his memoir to tour drama and multifarious rants, the once-elusive chanteuse is building his brand more than ever.Īccording to Partridges’ song-by-song analysis of the release, introspection can really only be found on “‘I Am Not a Man’ and closer ‘Oboe Concerto,’ and the portrait Moz paints is that of an aging rock icon unsure of his place in the universe.
But lately, he’s been in the news more than ever. Musically, The Smiths’ front man has been relatively silent since his previous releases, Years of Refusal (2009) and Ringleader of the Tormentors (2006). It’s essential listening not so much for its quality - uneven, if generally high - but for the strange place it occupies in Morrissey’s discography.” Musically, Moz lets his sidemen go wild with electronic beats, accordions, Spanish and Middle Eastern flourishes, and synths galore. “The disc is filled with broad political statements and odd character sketches. “If World Peace isn’t Morrissey’s least autobiographical LP, it’s certainly one of his most scattershot,” said Billboard‘s Kenneth Partridge, who awarded the release 77/100. That’s not a surprise, though, coming from an artist who’s established unwavering musical credibly (and made millions) from his singular brand of enigmatic melancholy.
Even though the release follows the singer’s best-selling memoir Autobiography that was published last year, it’s as far from personally revealing as it could be. Steven Patrick Morrissey‘s 10th solo release, World Peace is None of Your Business, is nothing if not a puzzle wrapped inside a riddle.
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