delirious? has a vocal and loyal fan base. Last year they began to mobilize those fans, getting their first single to number 41 in the British charts, the next ("Deeper") to no. 20, the album to no. 13, another single to number 20, and a re-release of "Deeper" to no. 36. This album is dedicated to their fans as a thank-you and a reminder of the tour. This is arguably the best release yet from delirious?. Their live show is their strongest asset, and this album has all their most popular songs with the characteristic vibey-guitar sound from the frets of Stu G, and Martin Smith's distinctive vocals. The
sound varies between the power-pop of "Promise" and the vibey-pop of "Deeper," the band's most radio-friendly song. The rockers are energetic although not very aggressive, while the mellow moments are truly intimate. The highlights are many, from the power of old favorites like "Come Like You Promise" and "Not Ashamed" (which had the crowd going crazy when I saw them in an HMV store in Guildford) to the chunky bass groove of "Obsession," the tenderness of "Summer Of Love" (much better here than as a b-side on the "Deeper" re-release), and, of course, the pure pop of "Deeper" (dedicated to their fans). The sounds are not totally new--the U2 influences show through, as do World Party and a few others--but it is totally delirious?, with all their signature tunes.
As with all live albums, there are a few points where it is annoying to have missed the concert--spontaneous cheering halfway through songs makes me wonder what was going on--but this is a huge improvement over their previous live release, which only had a couple of real songs, and suffered from being a conglomeration of edited highlights from several shows. The band is still developing, but this is a good consolidation of the past year. This disc will not be released in the USA, but a delirious? live album is due for a stateside release next year; it should be worth the wait.
4 tocks
More from Delirious?
2002Access D:
2000It's OK (Single)
2001deeper: the d:finitive worship experience
1999Mezzamorphis
2005Mission Bell
1997Cutting Edge
