Ian Brown Unfinished Monkey Business CD

The enhanced portion of this CD contain 3 music videos.
This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
Personnel: Ian Brown (vocals, various instruments); Aziz Ibrahim (various instruments); Simon Moore (drums).
Released in 1998, Ian Brown's first solo album, UNFINISHED MONKEY BUSINESS, finds the ex-Stone Roses frontman alternately attempting to escape the shadow of his lauded former band, and conjuring up its groove-loving ghost. The disc's shimmering first single, "My Star," recalls the Beatles (via Oasis), and showcases Brown's raspy croon; while the acoustic, chill-out vibe of "Corpses in Their Mouths" makes it one of the record's pleasant surprises. "Can't See Me," on the other hand, sounds exactly like what it is--a Stone Roses song without guitarist John Squire, with the Manchester group's bassist (Mani) and drummer (Reni) sitting in to create a funk-tinged tune that wouldn't have been out of place on SECOND COMING. Although some of the lo-fi experimentation here (see the noisy "Lions") proves to be a bit distracting, UNFINISHED MONKEY BUSINESS reveals a potential that the Madchester icon would follow through with on later outings, particularly MUSIC OF THE SPHERES.
Several years on, and still everyone is playing that first Stone Roses LP, one of the great achievements in British rock and pop. But the magnificence of that well-loved album has also been the problem since. The Roses spent the early '90s suing the label that released it, then signed a new, bigger deal, released a total dud of a turd of a turkey of a second LP, lost its members one by one, then mercifully quit with a whimper. Fantastic guitarist John Squire ruined Second Coming with his sudden obsession with Jimmy Page-style wank-soloing, and his subsequent LP with the Seahorses is an equally miserable piece of bad bombast for the same reason. So now it's singer Ian Brown's turn, his first post-Roses try at convincing the world that The Stone Roses was not a momentary fluke, an accidental, monumental treasure. But he, too, falls a little short. Without Squire (at least the 1989 version!), Brown is lacking in guitar talent. The work here, though competent, is pedestrian. The bass and drums are also well below the level of Mani and Reni. And also, without Squire's help, Brown's songwriting is vaguely hooky but average. Perhaps Unfinished Monkey Business is too well titled. But unlike Second Coming and the Seahorses, at least this feels good to listen to, as compelling background sound. What Brown lacks in backing and material, he does his best to make up for with singing attitude, groove, and, most of all, production vibe and atmosphere. Several nice songs, such as "Can't See Me," shake with quiet cool, approaching the Roses' singles "One Love" and "Fools Gold," and a few more-pop tracks, such as "Nah Nah" and the U.K. hit "My Star," are genuine pleasures that bring back the hints of magic for a while. Rarely has such a poorly constructed LP felt so soothing and cool, if vaguely unsatisfying. ~ Jack Rabid