DEEMED too ugly to be a Monkee, in the early Seventies Stills was nevertheless a rock messiah.
Then it all went wrong, his discipline wavered and the muse fled. His first solo album in 14 years is a partial return to form. The guitar playing still shimmers, and while his singing was never good, it is at least audible here. Man Alive! is almost as varied in style as Manassas (1972) but falls far short on consistency. The Spanish Suite is the sort of extended song that Crosby Stills and Nash are justly renowned for. Even the timing of this release seems well starred. Normally "Why not feed the people everywhere and let the peace begin?" would be laughably idealistic, but with Live 8 such sentiments are uttered daily.
Updated: 10:49 Thursday, July 07, 2005
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