9

Stereophonics give us mixed blessings


You've got to hand it to the Stereophonics, they certainly know how to crank out a decent tune when they feels like it. If only Kelly Jones would drop that bloody falsetto, it doesn't suit his voice at all. It's so promising before the chorus, with its dirty, low-slung guitars and menacing, growled vocals. Weighing in at five minutes, it's not exactly classic Stereophonics, but it doesn't drag as much as you would expect especially not when there's such a good riff near the end.

As for the B-side, 'Outside', this is a back to familiar territory for the band. For a song about fighting, this is fairly upbeat and laidback for the most part with the spirit of Manchester hanging around too. On the chorus has any sort of urgency, speeding up to match the frantic singing and guitars. To me, it's just too laidback and the topic starts to grate against the laidback vibe - it's so wrong.

'Superman' as an A-side isn't as good as 'Dakota', and I wouldn't have chosen it for a single. However, it's the sort of song you dance to when you're drunk in a club, and don't really care. The B-side isn't to bad, though for all its faults and it probably makes this single worth buying.