IT’S a love/hate relationship many nurture with infamous musician Pete Doherty. For those that admire him, they would agree he has produced some of the best music to ever come out of England. And for those on the other side of the fence, the Babyshambles front man is unpredictable. Unpredictable being an understatement for the loyal fans that have witnessed gigs empty and the house lights blinding through as its announced he has stood up another audience. That said, no matter how you feel about him, there is no denying he is one of the greatest songwriters of his generation.

So after a six year wait, believe it or not, and a change of drummer as the band recruit Stereophonic drummer Jamie Morrison; Babyshambles will release their third studio album Sequel to the Prequel on 2 September.

So what will we get after a six year wait?

Opening track Fireman is an absolute stomper. Short and aggressive- frantic playing from everyone in this song during the short 1 minute 40 seconds it lasts. It makes for a rude awakening to the Babyshambles hiatus. Pete Docherty’s vocals take on a different accent which gives this song an edge. The die-hard fans may have heard this track over the last few years at one or two live gigs, and I am glad to see it as the album opener.

It’s then followed by a song that has also been kicking about for a while now, Nothing Comes To Nothing– which is also the first single from the album. And understandable too, as it’s a classic indie pop track with Doherty’s vocals back to classically ‘Shambles that fans love so well. This feel-good track will have fans in full voice come the live shows.

New Pair starts with a clean reverb guitar tone over the top of a white noise part to create atmosphere. It then kicks into an up-tempo darker area. And with the tremolo effect on one guitar and the acoustic guitar leading the song, its gives the song an infectious Liverpool vibe. And by that I mean the kind of sound that The La’s, The Coral and even The Stands had and so many have failed to recreate over recent years.

Farmer’s Daughter is next, which starts with a guitar tone that is an unmistakable Babyshambles riff, but as you listen to this slow and endearing track you start to realise it’s not your stereotypical Babyshambles track. An uncharacteristic but massive chorus changes the sound of the track completely.

Next up is the happy-go-lucky Fall from Grace and the more gritty sounding Maybeline which both have the feel of album filler tracks; decent songs but not as up to standard with the track that came before them. One thing that is made apparent on this album is the different styles of influence that have been taken on-board to make the pieces of music.

With an album namesake Sequel to the Prequel sounding like it would fit right in with the classic country track King of the Road by Roger Miller- it starts with what sounds like an old tape recording, that is then overlapped by the guitar and the rest of the track. A great song that shows growth in the Babyshambles sound.

Heavy Ska-influenced track Dr. No is next with its superb harmonies that repeat the lyrics “Doctor no!”, it becomes infectious right away. There is a dark twist musically with its carnival sounding origin layered with a delayed harmonica piece making it a sinister piece of work.

Penguins gives you a false sense of what the track is going to be with a slow start. It begins with a violin and a clean guitar, then a random burst of heavy guitar tones quickly vanish until the chorus which then picks up in pace dramatically with a pounding drum beat driving the sound.

Picture Me In A Hospital starts beautifully with the mandolin and violin before the drum creates the drive and the acoustic guitar works the background noise. The violin plays a much bigger role in this track, being used for the lead riff. Lyrically this is a very impressive song and is the strongest track on the album so far.

Penultimate track of the album, Seven Shades of Nothing is a more rock ‘n’ roll focused track, with sharp guitar tones and big sounding shared vocals. Minefield ends the album, sounding like its been recorded in a large empty room. With a grungy edge to it, Minefield is bass-heavy again which has fans switch back to the darker Babyshambles sound. As we get passed onto the chorus, it seem like every channel on the mixing desk was pushed to the very top as the song becomes so loud- really making its impression. A bit to dark to end the album for me.

Overall its an album that is well worth a listen, but then again Babyshambles albums always are. The ultimate verdict will come at the live performances. Let’s hope come September’s gig at the Barrowlands in Glasgow, Babyshambles are back to their best, which at one point had them as one of the best live acts around.

Words: Neal Mcharg