Why Me? Why Not.

I very nearly didn't buy this album. I've been fairly underwhelmed by Liam's post-Oasis career and tend to hold the opinion that if Liam hadn't have been part of the biggest band of the nineties, there's probably no way his work would have ever been released on its own merits. Sure, there have been quite a few decent songs, but there haven't been any years when I've been looking at my favourite albums of the year and either Beady Eye or Liam Gallagher solo albums have made the top twenty... or even perhaps top fifty. Liam's solo (and Beady Eye) albums are generally quite decent affairs, often featuring heavy Lennon or Beatle-esque influences and yet never coming close to hitting the kind of heights that Liam's heroes managed in the sixties and seventies, and the only people who give them rave reviews tend to be Oasis die-hards who still follow Noel and Liam in the 21st century the way Status Quo fans did in the nineties, with their double denims and sewn-on patches, locked in their loyalty and rabid fandom (or as Liam refers to his fans, his “Parka Monkeys”). They're no longer as relevant as they once were, but stick with them and you'll get the occasional rewarding few songs or above average album... which brings me on to Why Me? Why Not.Why Me? Why Not. is my favourite thing Liam has done since Oasis split in 2009. From the opening guitar riff and harmonica howl of the stomping Shockwave (file under: songs about Noel by Liam), the album is immediately likeable; a strong and catchy opening gambit. One Of Us is slightly unremarkable, although the strings arrangement in the latter part of the song is rather enjoyable and elevates the song somewhat. Once is Liam trying to make another early seventies John Lennon song (and starts a little like Jealous Guy too), but I willingly admit that it's a rather brilliant song and extremely uplifting. Now That I've Found You is a positive, upbeat and catchy enough composition and Halo has a winning piano riff and driving tempo (although I'm really not sure about the dodgy “we can bang a gong forever” or “she's teaching me that two plus two is four” lyrics); in music terms it's very pleasing, but lyrically very much in the “could do better” category.The title track of the album borrows the musical feel of I Am The Walrus (the drum beat, cello strokes and orchestral flourishes) and, honestly, I genuinely love it. Had this been released by ELO in the early seventies, it'd probably be a track I'd rave about, so I'm not going to be hypocritically sniffy about it just because it's a Liam Gallagher track. The follow track, Be Still, is a little forgettable; a bit of a B-side composition that adds nothing to the album. Alright Now is a very pleasant, slightly dreamy composition with very nice guitar solo; shame about the lazy fade out at the end, though. Meadow is a beautiful ballad with a distorted organ background and some George Harrison-esque guitar work that kicks in around the middle of the song; it's honestly the sort of subtle, beautifully understated track I'd be enthusing about if someone such as Neil Finn had written it, so it's only right that I enthuse about it now, as it's another excellent album highlight.The River is a swampy rock song with the kind of persistent drum beat and dirty guitars Oasis employed a few times; enjoyable enough yet perhaps lacking in a little originality. Gone is fairly decent and has the feel of a theme song to a modern western; the arrangements and instrumentation perhaps elevate this composition beyond its bare bones. The powerful relentless rock drums and drone vocals of Invisible Sun combined with the frantic drums and winding guitar work of the chorus prove to be a pleasing, enjoyable combination whereas Misunderstood is one of the lesser ballads on the album; there's simply not enough to make it stand out and yet it is certainly very listenable (there's even a cheeky borrow of the refrain from All Around The World's chords during the bridge). Glimmer ends the album on a high and it's a very upbeat, cheery song with a deft, light touch that is perhaps a little uncharacteristic of Gallagher, reminding me strongly of early Stone Roses. It's a smile-inducing curveball that adds the icing to the album's Mancunian cake.This is, unmistakably, a Liam Gallagher album and I imagine existing fans will absolutely love it and it may even win over those old Oasis fans who have been sceptical of Liam's career so far. Will it win him any new admirers? I very much doubt it. This isn't an album for people who prefer their music to be a bit more complex and I'd be surprised if there are more than four or five chords per song. Add to this fact that Liam's vocal lines aren't any more creative than anything we've previously heard from him before, but - and it's a substantial but - there are masterful touches in terms of arrangement, production and instrumentation that make this album cohesive, very listenable and immensely enjoyable. The musicianship on this album is genuinely wonderful and Liam has surrounded himself with co-writers and players who can elevate his music to higher plains than anyone would reasonably expect from a Liam Gallagher album.For those looking for fantastic lyrics, I suppose this album falls short a little too, as virtually every song is either lovingly or scathingly about other people or about relationships. However, as an enjoyable piece of indie-pop, steeped in sixties seventies influences, it's difficult to fault, other than it could probably have been a few tracks shorter and better as a result. It's certainly at least on a par with the last couple of Oasis albums. As a non-music related grumble, I have to admit that I found the lyrics in the CD booklet as well as the musician credits extremely difficult to read, as the print is so small; if you're going to print all the information about the record, it helps if it's of a size that your average person with pretty decent eyesight can actually read without the aid of a magnifying glass. Oasis fans are starting to get on a bit, y'know.

When Liam Gallagher released his solo debut in 2017, no one could have expected it to sound so faithful to the Oasis sound of old, whilst taking on a more raw, modern edge. In short, it was a great modern rock record. And when he released his sophmore effort, 'Why Me? Why Not.', he did it again. The album has many, many highlights of just awesome rock music, distorted guitars and 'I don't care' attitude.The album's opener and lead single, 'Shockwave' is a pumping anthem lashing out a former lover who just wasn't a good person. It's got a great riff and big chorus, with Gallagher's vocals once again on full form.'Once' is a good acoustic driven song that builds, and shows another side of Liam. 'Why Me? Why Not' is a good, egotistical track you'd expect from him, too, a pulsing title piece.'Be Still' is a personal favourite with electrifying guitar and catchy chorus, matched only by 'Gone', with almost Western-style chorus and instrumental. The lyrics generally deal with Liam being independent and free, and honestly, how awesome it is that he is. And making this. The other tracks as well are certainly not filler, establishing a clear catalogue of softer and harder tracks, with clear inspirations from many artists - recent and new - which sound great.The Amazon Exclusive Edition comes with more tracks, but the only difference from the standard deluxe version is a nice slipcase. Which looks great but doesn't add a whole amount. Up to you if it's worth it. Either way, I highly recommend the record.

Following on from the brilliance of "As You Were" and having heard the 4 tracks released before the album came out I was expecting a hell of a lot from "Why Me? Why Not". It has far exceeded all of my expectations. Not only is Liam's voice sounding incredible on here but the quality of the songs is up there with early Oasis and with far better production. Some of my favourite tracks are "Once", "One Of Us", "Now That I've Found You", "Be Still", "The River", "Gone", "Misunderstood" and the title track "Why Me? Why Not". In my opinion this is the best album so far this century and I don't say that lightly. Noel should hang his head in shame when comparing his latest material against this. Truly fantastic album. 5/5

Another good album from ex oasis frontman

Why no auto rip on the amazon exclusive????Very good album... Most likeable album by far... Some maturity to the songwriting with still the bite of his vocal delivery, he is much underatted compared to to Noel, who is very professional, in a very sterile way, and IMHO is a bit pedestrian these days.

Album is great..........But my only problem was that when I unwrapped it and took the cardboard sleeve off and cd case was smashed and front fell off. Not happy about it so will have to replace the cd case itself.

Some absolute belters as you would expect from the god like genius that is LG. 6 and 10 up there with some of best oasis

I like it after a few listens and some of the songs are really good. But think As You We’re is a better album