Ian Brown

Ian Brown was the singer for the Stone Roses, the glorious and seminal Manchester band who dropped the ball so hard that a bottomless pit of nasal-toned clones was soon born. Browns influences came from guys like Joe Strummer, Paul Weller and John Lydon (evident in alot of his performances!!) but Brown himself has influenced many wannabies in the indie (dare i use that word) scene, Liam Gallagher is definitely one who copied Browns persona no question, Tim Burgess of the Charlatans is another who in NME Brown accused of blatantly trying to be just like him!.
The simian Mancunian has emerged with a solo career that balances stupid and clever on a scale where the weight is unfortunately tipped a bit on the former. While his voice still carries the whispery inflections and cool, vibey attitudes that make you want to pull your sleeves over your hands, it's obvious that his brilliance shines brightest in collaboration. His songs are catchy, but they fail to deliver the same heartfelt triumphs of life and love as they did in the past. Where he once sung lyrics like "She stands on shifting sands / The scales held in her hands," he now sings, "The dolphins were monkeys that didn't like the land." Oh, and he does a wonderfully novel cover of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean."