Why Me? Why Not is subsequently a clear upgrade on As You Were, but not a radical departure, which will come as a relief to Liam’s loyal fans. “The most radical thing I can do – as if I’d ever say radical normally! – but the most radical thing I can do is do it better every time. Some other bands and singers want to try it! It’s harder than doing a new South American opera disco song, that’s for sure.”
Highlights include the soulful One Of Us, which includes Liam’s son Gene Gallagher’s debut on bongos (“he nailed it!”), the aching balladry of Once (“got a bit of Pink Floyd’s The Wall about it”), the raw guitar bounce of Be Still, and the title track, Why Me? Why not, which Liam describes as “having a Beatles on Come Together vibe.” Perhaps the most immediate song on the album is Now That I Found You, a slice of insistent, upbeat paisley-guitar pop that also features Liam’s voice in supreme, yearning form. He’s rarely sounded better. “It’s probably all that Guinness I’ve been walloping down in the boozer,” he reveals. “No, I feel good. To be honest, I always sing well if the songs are good. If the songs are good, then I am – and these songs are great.”