It would seem that Ian Brown is resignedly brazen about his musical motives these days. Perhaps age has mellowed King Monkey; on the cusp of his mid-forties, indie anthems of yesteryear like Fools' Gold and I Am the Resurrection must now seem like distant memories to the Madchester star. So then, is naming his fifth album 'The World Is Yours' an attempt at conjuring up some wild, Bond-ean vision, one which dabbles in extravagant, orchestral movements and hard-hitting lyrical themes? Err, probably. But more importantly, does it work? Err, no. The World Is Yours sets its stall out from the outset as a serious offering, and one which contains Brown's most politically-themed lyrics and expansive (read: lots of strings) compositions to date. In reality, neither of these are convincing. It's a jumbled collection of half-rhymes, hackneyed symphony samples and embarrassing funk/hip-hop beats, and one which even Brown himself doesn't seem entirely sure of. Donning his humanitarian cap on Save Us, he laments 'Save us from all of those whose eyes are closed to the plight of the African child', while the woeful Sinead O'Connor-guesting anti-war effort Illegal Attacks makes reference to the UK's involvement in the Iraqi War. There's little to redeem this album, and even the less-awful numbers (Some Folks Are Hollow, Sister Rose) sound dated. If we weren't already aware that Brown is capable of songs like F.E.A.R, this album would barely register on the radar; for now, it's consigned to the 'poorly thought-out, and even more poorly-executed' bargain bin.
