By RUSSELL BAILLIE
(Herald rating: * * * )
It's only Strummer's third post-Clash album and second with the band with whom he heartily rocked the Big Day Out last year.
While its predecessor, Rock Art And The X-Ray Style, was a ramshackle return to form, this one is a bit
more ambitious and thought-out.
Which unfortunately means its 11 tracks sound a bit unwieldy and unfocused - not that the Clash ever made records like that, huh?
But we at least can warm to Strummer's spoken beginning of Bhindi Bhagee: "Well, I was walking down the high road/ and this guy stops me/ he'd just got in from New Zealand/ and he was looking for mushy peas ... " at which Strummer plays guide to Britain's rich cultural and culinary diversity. Yes, surprisingly, it does go on a bit.
However, it does start well on the exuberant Celtic-folk stomp of Johnny Appleseed, the low-slung ska-rock of Cool'N'Out, and dub-funk of the title track (even if it resembles a slo-mo version of Rock the Casbah).
It hits some dull patches on the dire dub of Gamma Ray and the last track, the ring-us-when-you're-finished mutant Pogues, mostly-instrumental Minstrel Boy.
Still, there's enough here to win Strummer some continued admiration. Especially as he's still in good voice as he continues to rail against those powers that be. And when it's at its best, his eclectic globetrot-rock remains inspiring stuff.
Label: Hellcat/Shock
