Manic Street Preachers - 'Your Love Alone Is Not Enough'
If nobody minds, I'd like to give you a quick breakdown of my initial reaction to this song, before I knew anything else about it: "Hmm, strummy strummy, this is pleasant enough...wait, that sounds like Nina Persson...this isn't the Cardigans, is it? No, because now there's a bloke singing. OMG, have they split? Aarg! Oh, it's the Manic Street Preachers. How interesting. Golly, Nina Persson has a lovely voice, doesn't she? Sigh."
So it's not new material from the Cardigans - although we have good reason to believe they haven't split, phew - but frankly I'll take Nina Persson on my radio any way I can get her. This is an interesting turn of events from the Manics - it seems to be lacking the angry political fire that characterises a lot of their work (and their name). There may be some purists who are unhappy about this, but I'm focusing on the tune that makes up the end result, and I'm not finding much to complain about.
It's quite typical call-and-response stuff, but there's enough angst and bitterness to lift it above the humdrum, and getting Nina in for a guest spot was a minor work of genius, because her honey-dripped tones provide a welcome contrast to James Dean Bradfield's coarser, growling vocals. They do, quite literally, make sweet, sweet music together.
If I have one tiny criticism, it's perhaps that the track takes a little while to get going, but once you hit the high octane later verses, I wouldn't be surprised if you get chills rolling down your spine - it's that lovely. And it gets bonus points for the lyrical shout-out to a previous Manics song, which is one of my favourite things for a pop song to do ever. Welcome back, chaps.
Download: Out now
CD: Out now
(Steve Perkins)
Comments
Does anyone else think Nina from the Cardigans looks like an older Avril Lavigne? It's funny coz that's what I thought when I first saw Avril back in 2002 with 'Complicated', I thought "She looks like a younger Nina from the Cardigans". And the other day I saw the Manic Street Preachers video and I thought "The woman looks like a slightly older Avril, oh it must be Nina from the Cardigans then !!"
Anyway, enough rambling... ;-)
shame radio 1 will never play this because the manics are "too old" and not as big any more yet still playlist (the very good yet not very "radio 1") The Good the Bad & The Queen (who's last single graced the heady hights of 50 something or other)....somethings amiss me thinks
This song is pure class, very simple and yet very heartfelt. James Dean Bradfield sounds amazing, Nina Persson sounds amazing and even Nicky Wire chips in with a couple of lines. The best Manics song for years, mostly because it lacks the air of self-importance of their recent stuff. 5 out of 5, definitely.