Performance and Cocktails [LP]

Stereophonics: Kelly Jones (vocals, guitar); Richard Jones (bass); Stuart Cable (drums).
Additional personnel: Astrid (vocals); Marshall Bird (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Hammond organ, Mellotron).
What you see is very much what you get with this Welsh trio. Listening to this album, with its refreshingly uncluttered production, brings frontman Kelly Jones and his two sidekicks into the room with you. Jones sings about everyday topics and emotions in his own inimitable voice, set to outrageously catchy melodies and driven by a strong guitar-based sound.
PERFORMANCE AND COCKTAILS boasts an impressive quota of hit singles, of which "Just Looking," "Pick a Part That's New," and "The Bartender and the Thief" are the best. The album tracks are also extremely fine. Take the closing number, a heartfelt postlude threatening to build on a scale equivalent to "Stairway to Heaven" before ultimately burning itself out. Compared to Stereophonics' debut, WORD GETS AROUND, this second album presents a more polished, slightly less raw approach. It's the sound of a band that has made it and is confident in its credentials. This was undoubtedly one of 1999's most sought-after albums, so go off and join the thousands who've already bought it.