Album: Johnny Marr + The Healers

Boomslang, Imusic

Going solo has always been a problem for former band guitarists making the short but daunting move from sidekick to spotlight. Even a master craftsman such as Jeff Beck had to draft in Rod Stewart as vocalist when he left The Yardbirds. Former Smiths guitarist, Johnny Marr, has so far sidestepped this conundrum by serving as gun-for-hire with such as The The and Beth Orton, or by finding himself another front man in the form of New Order's Bernard Sumner, his partner in the underwhelming Electronic. This time out, though, he's had to step out front and centre as the prime mover of his own band The Healers, a trio comprising Marr, Alonzo Bevan on bass and Ringo's son Zak Starkey on drums. And in fairness, he acquits himself reasonably well on Boomslang, displaying a likeably casual vocal style reminiscent of The Charlatans' Tim Burgess on tracks such as "Down On The Corner". Perhaps unsurprisingly, Manchester influences predominate on the album, with The Healers working up a loose, baggy Stone Roses-style groove on the best track "You Are the Magic"; even the title sounds like one of theirs. The mood throughout is mild and unassuming – wistful on the accordion-driven "Something to Shout About", maundering on "Long Gone" – with the most decisive sound being the blast of harmonica that opens "Need It", before the track slips into a shuffling groove akin to "Sympathy for the Devil". Guitar fetishists may be disappointed with Marr's diffidence, though: his most striking work here is the lovely, liquid reverse-guitar solo in "You Are the Magic".