Johnny Marr 'Playland' - Album Review

The Lily Whites of Kildare can be proud of their Mancunian musical sons, as both Johnny Marr and ace Stone Roses and former Primal Scream bassist Mani boast parentage from the county. Incidentally, Marr once told Hot Press that he wrote the music for most of the final Smiths album Strangeways, Here We Come touring Ireland in the back of a Hi-Ace Van. 
In 2013, Marr shook off the spectre of The Smiths once and for all with his solo debut, The Messenger. Now, Playland lands hot on the heels of his first outing with a cracking lead single entitled ‘Easy Money’: easily his catchiest composition to date, it’s a not-too-distant cousin of ‘Dashboard’ from Marr’s former bandmates Modest Mouse.  
There’s plenty more where this nugget came from, via opener ‘Back in the Box’ and the dreamy ‘Dynamo’. Marr, it is obvious, has refined the hard rocking template he debuted on The Messenger. Indeed, as a start-to-finish suite, Playland is superior to its predecessor: songs that initially sounded underwhelming become serious growers. 
The centre of attention is Marr’s fretwork. He has also improved as a lead vocalist with an endearing yet unassuming Manc drawl reminiscent of former Electronic colleague Bernard Sumner. In short, Playland is the real deal. 
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