Artist	Song

Comment:

When the Stone Roses suffered acrimonious collapse in 1996, some expected frontman Ian Brown to lick his wounds in permanent retreat — but since that demise he has hit back with a salvo of outstanding solo releases, and has only strengthened his position as the North's reigning rock god-in-chief: a hugely influential artist who will be immortalized as more than just a leading light of the Madchester scene. Begin sampling his eclectic palette with the startlingly pretty "F.E.A.R.", the anti-war protest track "Illegal Attacks" (with Sinead O'Connor) and the gently unnerving "Corpses in Their Mouths" (with Noel Gallagher on backing vocals). Soul, old punks and a dash of Spanish can be found among Ian Brown's Next Steps.

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