After the bombast of Be Here Now and the mediocrity of Standing On the Shoulder of Giants (which had so much potential... the demos are telling of this), one of the biggest bands of the 90's finally gets it right (again) with their latest LP, Heathen Chemistry.

The biggest problem with the past two albums is the lack of consistency with song quality. "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" is sheer embarassment next to "Sunday Morning Call," and "All Around the World" was simply too long and repetitive, even by anthemic standards. But the new Oasis line-up has clearly learned from their mistakes.

The album opens up with the rollicking "Hindu Times" (reminiscent of the "Rock n' Roll Star" open of "Definitely Maybe") and sets the tone for "Heathen Chemistry." The band finally feels at home. It's playing straight up rock and roll, no gimmicks, and hitting on all cylinders. The next two tracks, "Force of Nature" and "Hung In a Bad Place" get to the point with foot-stomping, bluesy rock and roll, and the latest single "Stop Crying Your Heart Out" is a fine rock ballad that should do well, if given the chance on U.S. radio.

Some critics may try and point out what they consider lyrical inadequacies with the songs (i.e. simple rhyme schemes), but what many have forgotten is that Oasis isn't looking to change the world (ala U2) or blow us away with techy-production (ala Radiohead). They play rock and roll, and they play it loud. The lyrics (with contributions from all bands members) are deserving of the music played with them (like the touching "Song Bird") and are just as fitting as sing-alongs as they are dedications (i.e. "She Is Love").

"Heathen Chemistry" is a great rock and roll album, and proves the Gallagher brothers (along with band mates Andy Bell and Gem Archer) are hitting their stride once again.

To me, Oasis' zenith was (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, an album that contains quite a few of my all-time favorite Oasis songs. (The title track being one.)

Standing On the Shoulder of Giants wasn't all that bad, but it certainly was no Morning Glory.

Heathen Chemistry is a cross between Morning Glory and Giants. It contains an abundance of signature Oasis riffs and lots of melodic passages. It's immediately accesible from the opening track ("The Hindu Times"). And it even features a beautiful ballad in the form of "She is Love" -- one of the prettiest, most non-cynical songs I've heard from the Gallaghers in a long time.

Sure, Oasis sounds reminiscent of the Beatles -- but not lyrically, nor in the chord progressions of their songs. (I think the Beatles actually used more chords.) If anything, they sounds like the Beatles in their Britishness and attitude. Frankly, there's not a song on Heathen Chemistry I could put my finger on and say, "Yeah, that's the Beatles." So, let's lay off the Beatles comparisons, for Pete's sake!

Speaking of the chord progressions, they're big, big big on Heathen Chemistry. That trademark wall of sound that I liked so much on Morning Glory is all over Heathen Chemistry. (Check out "Hung in a Bad Place," track three.)

Liam is in fine vocal form. Noel is as deft as ever with his guitar work.

"Songbird" is another pretty track. Acoustic guitars, tamborine, piano, and other non-typical Oasis instruments make this another stand-out track for me. Great song.

"A Quick Peep" is a driving tune with lots of heavy bass, organ, acoustic guitar and a groove I'm going to enjoy watching in concert (if they play this track!).

"Better Man," the last track, is a guitar-heavy rocker of the old school that's a great way to close the album. It, too, has a cool groove that keeps pushing the song forward to the final feedback-laden fade-out at about 4:18...and then falls silent for about another 30 minutes...returning with something entirely different at 33:13 after someone says, "...two, three, four." I wonder how many people have sat through the Gallagher's 30 minutes of silence to discover this "hidden" musical interlude buried way, way deep on the disc? (It's kind of a haunting "song," though, about four minutes in length. Worth hearing, even given the interminable wait.)

Let's put this in perspective. Track 11 is nearly 40 minutes in length, with only about seven minutes of actual music, separated by about 33 minutes of silence. In other words, Heathen Chemistry clocks in at 76 minutes, but there's only about 40 minutes worth of music on it. Clever? Or exasperating? You be the judge.

Heathen Chemistry is trademark Oasis. If you like a British attitude, clever chord progressions, a lead singer with a terminally nasal, raspy voice, and songs with lyrics that usually twist the knife in a cynical, albeit clever way, you can't go wrong with the latest CD from Oasis.

But if you *really* want to be blown away, pick up a copy of (What's the Story) Morning Glory? That's a classic.

Took a brief time for the album to grow on me, so I'm glad I didn't immediately write a review because it would've been a less glowing one.

Plenty of rock 'n' roll songs on this album, but it's clear that Oasis is broadening its reach while at the same time maintaining that 'oasis' sound. Songbird (yes, Liam can write decent songs) and She is Love are quite nice and understated. Better Man rocks with an irrestible groove. But without doing a complete rundown I can just say there are plenty of standout tracks here. And the lyrics work well, too.

Heathen Chemistry may just be Oasis's most consistent album. Every song is enjoyable to listen to, and the the album flows extremely well. For those of you who think this album doesn't rock enough, you obviously don't know what your talking about. "Hindu Times" is one of their best songs, and it contains some great guitar playing by Noel. In fact, the first three songs on this album all rock. "Force of Nature" and "Hung in a Bad Place" are some of there more underrated rockers. Another great rocker is the closing number "Better Man", which obviously has some influence from John Lennon. Also, after listening to "Born on a Different Cloud", I was amazed at how much Liam sounds like John Lennon, and I now feel that that song is a tribute to him. This album is highly critized because of sounding too much like the beatles, but I do not think that is a bad thing. In fact, Oasis through out their career have been bashed by many critics for ripping off the beatles. Here's a news flash for everybody, almost every band today has ripped off the beatles in one way or another, and I still fail to see how Oasis is any different than any other band. Noel and Liam are great song writers and they can play great music, even if they sometimes sound a little like the beatles. Now back to the album, the rest of the songs on this album are just as stong as the ones already mentioned. "Stop Cryin Your Heart Out" is a beautiful ballad. "Songbird" and "She is Love" show Oasis on a more accoustic note, and even show flashes of country. Overall, this album is a must buy for any Oasis fan, and I do feel that this album may help the band find their old magic again. I can't wait for their next album.

Boy, what can you say about this CD? Incredible! Diverse! Exciting! Every offering Oasis puts forth to us on this CD is outstanding. From the opening of 'The Hindu Times' to the closing number, which is a song by Liam, 'Better Man', this whole album takes you on a journey from great rock and roll music to the an instrumental number 'A Quick Peep' and to the slow numbers: the acoustic 'Songbird' (another offering by Liam), 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out' and 'She is Love'. New guitarist Gem Archer get's my vote for having penned the best song on the CD, 'Hung in a Bad Place'. With a little help wtih great vocals from Liam, this song really rocks. Liam's third offering is 'Born on a Different Cloud' and is definately influenced by John Lennon. '(Probably) All in the Mind' is another great song, the guitar work by Gem is incredible, very controlled and smooth, as well as the vocals from Liam, they're dead on. 'Little by Litte' is an excellent song sung by Noel and has a Pink Floyd sound to it in the beginning that builds to a rockin ending. The other songs Noel sings are also excellent; 'She is Love', 'Songbird', 'Force of Nature'.

In interviews, Noel has said that he has at least 10 more albums in him. If that is true, the music world had better hold on for a long ride. With 'Heathen Chemistry', Oasis has left us wanting more..........and we will get it.