Albums released after the artist's death are usually sad affairs, roundups of half-finished or inferior material that would have been better left lying in the vaults. Thankfully this long-delayed solo outing from Joey Ramone, completed just before he succumbed to lymphatic cancer last April, contains just about enough quality material to maintain the old punk rocker's dignity. It starts with a mighty bang, recycling an old Sex Pistols riff on the way to a frenetic cover of Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World. With this oddity out of the way, the rest of the songs on offer fit neatly into the classic Ramones template: raw, simple and punchy with cheerfully cartoonish lyrics and an infectious sense of unadulterated fun. While its weaker moments remind you that Ramone probably peaked as a songwriter back in the 70s, Don't Worry About Me is a much more fitting epitaph for this larger than life character than some might have feared.
