Morrissey really does have some new tricks

MORRISSEY: I Am Not A Dog On A Chain (BMG) 

Verdict: Surprise return to form

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ADAM LAMBERT: Velvet (Empire) 

Verdict: Suitably smooth

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As lead singer of The Smiths, Morrissey was a central figure in 1980s pop — a witty and literate spokesman with a natural affinity for sensitive outsiders.

For music lovers in search of something to lift their spirits, though, a new record from the famously miserable Mancunian probably isn’t a tonic that springs immediately to mind. 

Yet the self-styled godfather of glum is always capable of springing a surprise, and there are a few here.

His 13th solo album contains bright, jangling pop vignettes that hark back to The Smiths plus some unexpected electronic workouts. There’s a song about Gaelic sport and a duet with Motown legend Thelma Houston.

Since the demise of his former band, Morrissey’s music, after a promising start, has often been stodgy.

His lyrics have stayed crisp, but his tunes have lacked melodic zip. He has also alienated many of his fans with his provocative views on race issues.

One of his problems, career-wise, has been a lack of consistency. He has hopped between record labels and employed an array of collaborators.

But since hooking up with new producer Joe Chiccarelli six years ago, he has rediscovered some of his old deftness of touch.

I Am Not A Dog On A Chain is another sign of renewed momentum. Coming just ten months after last year’s patchy covers collection, California Son, it’s his second album since turning 60. 

It’s also his fourth in a row with Chiccarelli, suggesting that the American has filled a gap that has existed since the singer parted company with Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr in 1987.

Elvis Costello once said that Morrissey ‘writes wonderful song titles’ and there are more of them here, including My Hurling Days Are Done. With that particular crown under threat from U.S. indie band The Magnetic Fields — whose new album contains I Wish I Had Fangs And A Tail and Let’s Get Drunk Again (And Get Divorced) — that’s just as well.

Costello added that Morrissey sometimes forgets to augment those titles with a decent song, but that, thankfully, doesn’t apply here. Bobby, Don’t You Think They Know?, the duet with soul diva Houston, portrays an unnamed singer trying to hide a drug problem. It’s the type of finely drawn character sketch Morrissey pulls off so well.

Darling, I Hug A Pillow is even better, a stately song of loneliness and longing underpinned by Latin trumpet.

Smiths fans should also find plenty to engage them on the title track, which revisits the guitar jangle of 1986’s Vicar In A Tutu.

Some familiar targets remain in his sights. Love Is On Its Way Out tackles animal cruelty — ‘Did you see the sad rich hunting down, shooting down, elephants and lions?’ — and the title track is a tired jab at the Press.

Knockabout World is a wry take on social media firestorms.

When they emerged, all gleaming guitars, The Smiths stood in opposition to 1980s synth acts such as The Human League.

Morrissey has generally kept faith with guitar-based music since, but he dovetails surprisingly well with an electronic backing on Once I Saw The River Clean, a nostalgic song about his Manchester childhood.

There’s further experimentation on The Secret Of Music, a jazzy piece that outstays its welcome over eight ponderous minutes, before the album closes with a poignant reflection on the passage of time in My Hurling Days Are Done. His legacy may be tainted, but the old dog is still capable of some new tricks.

For songs of a more obviously upbeat nature, the fourth album from Adam Lambert offers some timely cheer. 

The former American Idol runner-up, 38, has been filling the boots of Freddie Mercury in Queen for the past eight years, balancing that with a flourishing solo career.

He’s a versatile performer. His natural flair makes him a perfect fit for Queen, where he does more than mimic Mercury, while his own work explores fresh terrain, with Velvet signalling a progression from the dance-pop and hard-rock of earlier albums towards something slinkier and more soulful. 

Before Idol gave him his big break, he had starred in stage productions such as Hair, but his theatrical leanings are scaled back here.

Listening to the title track and Loverboy, it’s easy to see why musician Pharrell Williams likened his smooth, blue-eyed soul voice to Steve Winwood.

There’s a cameo by Nile Rodgers on Roses and a nod to Paul McCartney in the Let It Be piano intro of Closer To You.

On Superpower, which recalls Queen’s Another One Bites The Dust, there’s a pointer to his alternate career. But he can dazzle in his own right, too.

Reasons to be cheerful

The coronavirus has had a devastating impact on live music, with gigs, tours and festivals cancelled. 

Glastonbury has been put back a year, the Eurovision Song Contest called off and the Royal Albert Hall closed. 

On the High Street, next month’s Record Store Day has been rescheduled for June.

But music still has an ability to bring people together and offer cheer at a time of crisis. 

Streaming services provide an instant entertainment fix for those self-isolating, and release schedules have so far stayed relatively intact, with new albums by Pearl Jam, Lady Gaga, The 1975 and Bon Jovi all imminent.

Stars have also taken to social media to live-stream impromptu performances free of charge from home.

Chris Martin took to YouTube, covering Bowie’s Life On Mars and answering fan questions. John Legend played live via Instagram. 

With Keith Urban and Christine & The Queens also gigging online, there are still sounds to lift our spirits in testing times.