Don't Believe the Truth

by

Oasis

Edit

Don't Believe The Truth is the sixth Oasis studio album-and a very proud success for this group! You get the awesome hit single "Lyla" as well as "Let There Be Love." It appears they saved "Let There Be Love" as almost the best for last since this is one of the most beautiful songs I personally have ever heard! No longer is Oasis stumbling though setbacks and comebacks-I get the strong sense that they have permanently emerged strong and very memorable with this CD being the proof of it. You still get that classic British guitar pop rock flavor running distinctly throughout. Yet with this CD Oasis finally gives us the strong lyrics consistently throughout the album and the musical arrangements are both instantly and all at once both free and secure-a very tough feat to accomplish! Simply put: Oasis is back on top!

The CD starts off running strong and hard with the opening track "Turn Up The Sun." There is a beautiful and thoughtful musical intro to this track-love those lyrics! And how's about that guitar on "Mucky Fingers?" AWESOME! In "Love Like A Bomb" you hear of a man's love for his woman; it's very memorable. "Guess God Thinks I'm Abel" is practically instantly memorable; and "A Bell Will Ring" has great lyrics.

And that song, "Lyla." The guitar and the vocals blend flawlessly on "Lyla" and this is without doubt a great song. "Lyla," as some of you may already know, is destined to be a long lasting hit song. It is well crafted, well arranged, and very well performed here by Oasis. In fact, the total sum of every song on this CD proves Oasis is rejuvenated and very much a strong force on the music scene.

A special note once again on that last track, "Let There Be Love." This song is destined to have a strong impact on the majority of people listening to it and reading this review. I think in some ways the album is worth it just for this one song! The song is remarkably inspirational; it begins with the gripping and oh so sensitive words "Who kicked a whole in the sky so that heaven could cry over me?" As you listen to the song, especially more than once, don't be surprised if you find yourself reaching for the phone to make up with that old friend who stopped talking to long ago; to go back to school to get that degree; or to follow whatever your dreams may be.

All in all, Noel and Liam are producing and singing some awesome, very fine music on this CD of theirs. They are amply aided by their peers. Zak Starkey, Ringo Starr's son, and Terry Kirkbride play drums; Lenny Castro plays percussion. Also look for Gem Archer on guitar with Andy Bell on bass guitar. This CD is an absolute must for Oasis fans who want the joy of knowing the group is very far from any setbacks! British pop fans as well as fans in general of rock and pop will be awestruck by this album. Great job, guys!

Rather than tear apart the latest effort by Oasis, I'd like to begin by pointing out several strong points on this album.

1. Lyla, the first single from this album, is a well-written, catchy song with some great vocals.

2. Let There Be Love is a beautiful song, and quite possibly one of Oasis's strongest ballads. Multiple listens and it gets even better.

3. Importance of Being Idle is a great song, and Noel does a great job on vocals. This tongue-in-cheek song about laziness is quite entertaining and a lot of fun to listen to. This track harkens back to some older Oasis...

Now for the weak points.

1. The first thing that ran through my head after listening through the album once was, "Who the heck is playing drums?" One of the weakest points of the album is the repetative, often dull drum beats. Two songs in particular come to mind: Mucky Fingers and Meaning of Soul. I don't know if they were trying for a "heavier" sound, but it came across as rather... well... "garage" sounding. I had no idea that Ringo's son drummed on this album until I read some of these reviews, but I have to say, I'm not impressed so far.

2. Unfortunately, many of these songs lack good hooks/climaxes. They start, but never go anywhere. The best way I can describe it is thus: when you have this CD playing in the background, nothing is so good that it comes OUT of the background and grabs your attention. This album lacks some of the indescribable "magic" one comes to expect from Oasis.

3. Finally, I have to agree with what many reviewers have said: the mixing on this album was terrible. I have a great stereo system in my car which does a great job of playing well-balanced music... you can hear everything, even over the noise of the road. However, when playing this in my car, it lacked depth and clarity, and came across like a wash of noise.

IN CLOSING: Is this album good? YES. Is it great? NO. However, it's worth a listen for the devoted Oasis fan. There are several songs on this album that take some getting used to, and require several listens before they begin to grow on you. "Don't Believe the Truth" is definately an "acquired" taste, but give it a chance... there ARE shining moments on this record.