HEY MA - Q REVIEW

MANCHESTER VETERANS MAKE CONFIDENT COMEBACK.

When James split in 2001 it seemed like a done deal. Nineteen years together, 12 million albums sold, a dignified departure. But the line-up that recorded 1990’s Gold Mother, their most successful UK album, has surprisingly reunited for the equally surprisingly strong comeback album. James were always at their most convincing when they came on like a more polite U2, and so Hey Ma proves, with its anti-war title track, its widescreen production and grandiose choruses. Tim Booth sounds like a singer reborn, and Oh My Heart is anthemic enough to be the new Sit Down.