JAMES : PTMY CEEFAX REVIEW

Travis may be the self-proclaimed "Invisible Band", but James seem much more deserving of that title.

The sextet have been in and out of the spotlight for years, with it shining brightly after their 1993 release Laid.

But this offering is unlikely to fix them as firmly in people's minds. 

Pleased To Meet You is a bit of a mixed bag - there are some brilliant tracks throughout, interspersed with several rather twee, flaky ones.

The high points do largely outweigh the lows on this album, the successor to 1999's Millionnaires. 

With the help of Brian Eno, they've crafted some masterful songs - the first single, Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) is the obvious standout.

Some of Tim Booth's cocky wordplays - "Drinks like Richard Burton, dances like John Travolta" - are gems.

But the quality of his songwriting falls sharply on several other tracks. 

The breathy, mellow Junky, in which Booth explores a variety of obsessions and addictions, is among the album's strongest tracks.

English Beefcake, with it's thumping bassline and violins, makes a promising initial impact but soon loses its way.

Title track Pleased To Meet You starts off sounding twee, but progresses into a mellow and dark but catchy song.

Sadly, corny and at times ridiculous lyrics undo much of James' good work. 

Religious imagery abounds, particularly in The Shining, which seems to borrow from NIck Cave's The Ship Song.

Senorita, Gaudi and Give It Away are just plain ridiculous and half-baked. 

But James redeem themselves with What Is It Good For, Falling Down and the lilting Alaskan Pipeline.

"I don't think the world has ever been ready for James," Booth said in a recent interview - I doubt this album will help remedy the situation.