Morrissey returns with his latest release “Ringmaster Of The Tormentors” after a relatively short hiatus from the limelight. Almost typical, you wait an age for a good album from a strong musical force and then two come along in under five years. The latest release is the follow up to 2004’s “You Are The Quarry” which saw a surprisingly reinvigorated Morrissey return after a number of years in the wilderness.
Released through Attack Records “Ringmaster” could never be classed as an album which marks any real change of direction for the artist. If you know and like Morrissey’s previous work whether that be his solo releases or his work with The Smiths then the odds you are going to find something here which appeals.
“Ringmaster” is twelve tracks of Morrissey doing what he does better than most. Twelve tracks of a caustic often poetic wit delivered with a mixture of vocal melancholy and dexterity. The lead single “You Have Killed Me” is one of the most uptempo cuts from the album and while it doesn’t quite capture the bite of some of his earlier work it is perfectly passable and in a somewhat tepid chart it should represent a change from the Mother’s Day clutter we’re enduring in the top ten right now.
Elsewhere the material often takes on decidedly epic qualities, both in terms of lyrical and musical content. Morrissey and co embrace a dense yet not overblown set of production values (particularly evident on tracks such as “Dear God, Please Help Me). As I mentioned there is of course a strong sense of the familiar in all this but there are moments of genuine tenderness caught up with whiplash lines of humour and you find yourself wondering whether to laugh or be touched.
If anything this time round there is almost the odd glimmer of happiness shining through the trademark dour landscapes that we have followed over the last twenty odd years. It’s almost like after years of dallying round the subject Morrissey has finally gotten laid and the results lie in his performance. Vocally he is on strident and confident form and seems decidedly comfortable with what he is doing. His recent uprooting from Los Angeles to Rome seems to have influenced some of his work as well, indicated in the lyrical content of the single and this only serves to encourage Morrissey’s natural flamboyance as a performer.
All though its quite easy to heap praise on this release (and most of the time its worthy of that), this is not an album without fault. There are occasions where some of the material doesn’t quite come up to scratch, a couple of tracks have a slight odour of filler about them and perhaps would have better served as B sides (On The Streets Where I Ran, I Just Want The Boy To Be Happy don’t quite hit the mark for me). However it might just be a case of them sitting in esteemed company meaning they lack a certain shine.
Overall however what you’ve got here is a pretty strong collection of songs from a potent musical force that seems to be growing old gracefully and dare I say it showing the faintest signs of mellowing with age. Perhaps not worthy of immediate classic status (we’ll leave that to the NME, shall we?) but definitely something to show the young upstarts how its done.
