The Charlatans UK — Wonderland

Thesis: what do you do if your lead singer lives married happily ever after in Los Angeles? Synthesis: create a smarmy grin of a record that fuses Brit-rock comfort, Los Angeles glam and a great falsetto on Tim Burgess' part. Wonderland is the result — a lovely little album influenced by soul but with its feet firmly planted in rock 'n' roll. An even larger departure than the 1999 album, Us And Us Only, this album is undeniably dance-rock sexy. Not in the Lenny Kravitz, rip-your-shirt-off-in-an-underground-club-cum-heroin-chic way — it's ambitiously aged sexy. An 18-year-old-scotch-on-the-rocks sexy, begging to be sipped. "You're So Pretty/We're So Pretty" and "Is It In You?" incite some carnal desires, but the true gem is "A Man Needs To Be Told," with its silvery wistful guitars and whispering vocals. You'll want to curl up beside your player and hit the back button repeatedly to stay in its perfect bubble. Full credit is also due for including the instrumental track "The Bell And The Butterfly" without sounding like pretentious wankers. Wonderland may not be as groundbreaking as The Charlatans probably wanted it to be, but FunToListenInTheCarToThePubland just doesn't have the same ring, does it?

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