Morrissey: Make-Up Is a Lie

"Morrissey has now been solo for the best part of four decades. But, as his work has constantly shown, he is at his best with a strong creative partner, be it Johnny Marr in the Smiths, Vini Reilly on, or Mick Ronson on Your Arsenal. Make-Up Is a Lie, much like the singer's last decade of solo albums, affords Morrissey no such critical counterweight."

"The return to the fold of guitarist Alain Whyte, who played with Morrissey from 1991 until 2004, however, seems to have lit an occasional spark. His presence helps steer the album away from the middling melodies and rather self-satisfied air that have plagued more recent records."

""Boulevard," a distant cousin to 2006's "Life Is a Pigsty," is particularly moving, a desperate torch-song tale of lost love and faded glamour that plays out in waltz time over a haunting piano line, bowed bass, and acoustic guitar."

Morrissey's album Make-Up Is a Lie demonstrates that the singer performs best with strong creative collaborators, a pattern evident throughout his career with Johnny Marr, Vini Reilly, and Mick Ronson. The return of guitarist Alain Whyte, who previously worked with Morrissey from 1991 to 2004, provides occasional creative spark and helps elevate the album beyond the mediocre production and uninspired lyrics that plagued recent solo work. While the record contains moments of intrigue and showcases Morrissey's songwriting ability, it lacks the consistent quality of his earlier collaborations. Notable tracks like "Boulevard" demonstrate Morrissey's capacity for theatrical melancholy when material demands it, though the album overall fails to recapture the standard of fan-favorite songs from his more celebrated periods.

Read at Pitchfork