This is a solo album by Noel Gallagher that has been a long time coming in terms of expectations. Although there have been many rumours and lots of speculation that Oasis was going to reform, this album has been released to point out that Oasis is truly finished by this point, and that they will sadly never reform. In some ways, this is a disappointment, but then again, the two volatile personalities that are Noel Gallagher and his brother Liam would never really get along again after the infamous backstage fight in 2009. Noel has made up his mind by this point not to go back there right now and instead has embraced his solo career to the full. This album is his (at the time of writing) most recent release. Does it hold up to its promise of being a decent solo album? Let’s find out.

I’m Not Giving Up Tonight begins with some sweeping electronic sounds, acoustic guitars and a great sounding piece of music, better than anything that Noel Gallagher has done in years. This instrumental section sounds great. Noel Gallagher gets singing about a lady of one’s desire, and this tune is a joyous and tremendous listen. If Noel Gallagher himself wanted to create a great solo album, then this is it. A melodramatic tune that has a gorgeous string section in the choruses, Noel sings nicely about a lady slow dancing to the sound of the music present. This is surprisingly optimistic, given that Noel Gallagher is going through his second divorce at the moment. A great song, with some Sgt. Pepper style strings and horns, this is a real winner of a tune. An excellent and anthemic piece of music, this is what fans of this ex-Oasis guy have been waiting for. A fantastic four minute long piece of beauty, “I’m not giving up tonight” indeed. Great music.

Pretty Boy is one of the lead-off singles from this album. It begins with some simple keyboards, drum machine beats and strummed acoustic guitars, with Noel singing nicely here. This tune is indeed, excellent and sounds like no time was wasted on making this album. The chorus is uplifting, with some deep and inspired singing by Noel Gallagher over the top of some rather Indie Rock work musically. A really excellent and powerful tune, at least emotionally, this is the best NG has done for many years on his songs. Seriously, that is how good this album is, so far. In the middle is a multitracked and awesome mixture of sounds that has guitars galore present. A great song for those of you who still follow Noel Gallagher to this day, it is a vast improvement over the Disco music Noel Gallagher was making just a few years before this release. A simple, acoustic driven and fantastic sounding piece of music, this does sound inspired and legendary. An interesting piece of music with a sad lyrical conclusion, this is definitely worth your time. Great song.

Dead To The World begins with some chilled acoustic guitars, a keyboard and a sense of exciting sound here. Noel Gallagher launches into a fantastic vocal that sounds spot on. He sings really well here, especially for his age, and this is followed by choir keyboard patches and a gorgeous string section to match. Really divine and interesting listening, this is a magical album so far that sounds really cool. This is a great listen throughout, and it just works incredibly well. There is an accordion solo, followed by some cool xylophone here. NG does borrow some often quoted phrases in his music here, but the majestic beauty of this song will take you to the next level. A truly amazing sounding song, Noel proves the critics wrong with this top tune. The layers of gorgeous instrumentation are fine and fantastic here. Great song.

Open The Door, See What You Find begins with a simple, punchy drum beat and launches into an excellent tune with strings and church bells, which are fantastic to hear. This does sound gloriously good, and the music is very pretty, gorgeous and unique. Some of Noel Gallagher’s best lyrics are here, and he sounds like a magical musician on fire. This is far better than anything he recorded previously as a solo act, and it has an acoustic guitar approach with other instrumentation layered on top that is fantastic to hear. Noel is in fine form here, and this is a very underrated NG solo piece that sounds beautiful and joyful. Evoking the spirit of The Beatles onwards, Noel Gallagher proves himself to be a masterful musician indeed. This is so good musically that tears of joy will be brought to your eyes upon listening to this. A truly great listen for 2023 onwards, this is Noel’s moment we have all been waiting for. Pure, lovely and fantastic to hear. A great song, period. NG is back, baby. Great tune.

Trying To Find A World That’s Been And Gone Pt. 1 begins with some faded guitars and keyboard sounds that are fantastic, complete with wind whooshing away. More nicely strummed acoustic guitars enter, and this piece comes alive nicely. A wonderful and interesting tune, Noel Gallagher has a great mind musically of how to impress listeners. He begins singing in a very good voice that is bold and pretty, and beats brother Liam Gallagher’s vocal efforts today by far. This eventually launches into a beautiful chorus with delicious string sections and melodies that will never die. A really decent and interesting listening experience, this sounds amazing. No time was wasted in delivering this album, easily Noel’s best solo album so far. It has a long fade out that is interesting and gentle, with plenty of wind whooshes. An excellent tune, another solid gold listen.

Easy Now begins with some psychedelic organ and launches into a melancholy ballad that sounds great. It does sound a bit weaker as a song, but it still is Pop/Rock that is a masterful listen to this day. Noel delivers a great song here, and although he will primarily be remembered as the main songwriter and musician of Oasis, these solo album pieces are majestic and fantastic. There is a strange sounding guitar solo here in the middle which sounds pretty cool. “I’ll be there, I’ll wait for you I swear, your destination comes without a fare” sings Noel Gallagher with excellent delivery coally. Not his greatest lyrical effort having said that, but a fine, fantastic and moving tune nonetheless. A really great piece of music, and this isn’t even the best song from the album. Timeless music to enjoy to the full, and the music and arrangements perfectly complement each other. A very nice listen.

Council Skies launches into it with some unusual percussion sounds, some lush guitar chords, handclaps and some awesome percussion. This is quite a different sounding tune from anything that Noel Gallagher has recorded thus far, and it sounds consistently brilliant. With a lyrical reference to the earlier Oasis hit Falling Down but with its own set of lyrics, this sounds gorgeous, wonderful and brilliant. The music present on this album is absolutely brilliant, make no mistake. The strings, keyboards and catchy groove will blow your mind away. There is even a muted horn part present as well. Despite the ridiculous song title, this is an awesome listening experience with some artistic and impressionistic lyrics. Mindblowingly amazing. The outro has some gorgeous guitar arpeggios and string sections to match. Fantastic.

There She Blows! begins with some freaky faded in guitars, and launches straight into a strange sounding melodic tune. Again, this tune is extremely good and sounds quite excellent for what it is. A decent postmodern Pop/Rock piece with some interesting sounds, lyrics and playing, this is proof that in its own way, Rock and Roll is not dead. Simple, energetic and catchy, Noel Gallagher deserves credit for the amazing music on this album. The immaculate production may look back to Be Here Now-isms, in its own way, but is not particularly overblown like that album was. There is a breakdown with a guitar solo in the second half which is electrifying. NG proves he still has it musically, and this tune is proof of the consistency of this album. “Told you that I love you more, love you more than love,” is repeated as a lyric here, possibly acknowledging Noel’s now ex-wife Sara McDonald. Great tune, all the same.

Love Is A Rich Man surely is a reference to The Beatles song Baby, You’re A Rich Man. In any case, this song begins with a very much The Rolling Stones styled beat, some interesting guitar sounds and other textures abound. This is a good retro 1960s throwback and no doubt this isn’t entirely original here. Still, this is a pleasant enough listen to enjoy for fans of Noel Gallagher. The singing in the chorus in particular is wonderful and enjoyable enough to be remembered well, and Noel proves that when it comes to singer-songwriter styled music, he is without peer. Another decent tune from the best album that NG has worked on in many years. A really Stonesy tune that sounds psychedelic, artistic and unique, Noel nails it here for his solo album release. A fine piece of music and musicianship, Noel Gallagher is the man who you need to hear for that wall-of-sound expansion from acoustic based music. Towards the end, The Rolling Stones styled beat returns, and Noel returns to the chorus for one last time. A great song, and something worth listening to. It ends nicely.

Think Of A Number is the longest track on this album. It begins with eerie and suspenseful film type sounds, and quickly launches into an acoustic driven piece that sounds marvellous. Noel Gallagher may be referencing the quintessential art of numerology here, but the song’s lyrics are a bit more varied than simply that. A decent tune to listen to, Noel proves to the world that even post-Oasis and approaching his sixties, he can still Rock well. His singing voice is tremendously good here, sounding pitch-perfect without too much autotune here. A really interesting and fresh listen, there is a piano solo present here, which is different. This may be no Definitely Maybe or (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? in terms of classic music but still, Noel Gallagher succeeds where many others fail in a musical sense. Singing about breaking up with a lover, Noel puts his honesty into his lyrics and his heart on his sleeve here. This eventually leads to a Joy Division styled guitar solo, which is fairly bleak. Noel then returns back to the verses, which are suspenseful. A good tune, but despite the quality of this album, it isn’t an outright classic overall that NG was doing back in the Oasis heyday of the mid-1990s. It would be best if he and his brother Liam Gallagher were back together in business right now. Anyway, a good but sad song. It ends with wind whooshes and high-pitched sounds delivered by a keyboard. Different, all right.

We’re Gonna Get There In The End is the final track from this album. It launches into another Stonesy styled beat and has some horns to add to it. Noel Gallagher gets singing nicely here, with some strummed electric guitar. Noel Gallagher adds some hope to the listener in these increasingly Orwellian and dystopian times, everything will be fine, not too far away from the All Around The World sentiment of Be Here Now. Nonetheless, the music here is stunning, in line with the rest of the album. If anyone deserves a gold medal for singer-songwriting in the 21st century, it is none other than Noel Gallagher. He has made his best solo album thus far here and has crafted some great tunes such as this optimistic and joyous listen. Noel makes upbeat anthems to inspire the youth of today to keep on going, even if at times it seems lacking to the glory days of Oasis. A nice Fender guitar solo is in the second half here. A really great listening experience, the layers of wall of sound here are really sweet and excellent to hear. Once you reach the end of this album, you can stop and start it again. A great finish to a decent LP.

Unlike many others out there in the music world today, Noel Gallagher comes across as surprisingly musically and decently relevant. Sure, this solo release of his isn’t as amazing as his 1990s efforts and Noel himself is likely aware of that. But having said that, this does sound like Noel has gotten on top of his solo career game here. An Oasis reunion is highly unlikely to occur at this point, but for a guy his age, Noel Gallagher still makes excellent music to listen to. Should you listen to this album? Certainly give it a shot, especially if you dig the idea of a legendary singer-songwriter expanding his craft with a luscious wall of sound. A very, very good album.

Imaginative and picturesque music.

8/10