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Beady Eye's eagerly awaited debut represents Liam Gallagher's uninspiring foray into the spotlight without Noel, his battle-weary brother and Oasis's chief songwriter. The rest of Oasis's line-up did, however, come along for the sputtering ride. It's not the derivative songwriting that makes this album one-dimensional so much as the absence of energy, working-class angst, and, in particular, Noelly G's creative spice. Beady Eye will no doubt face unnecessary scrutiny as a post-Oasis outfit, but they could have done more to deter the inevitable comparisons. "Wigwam" could easily be "Slide Away," minus depth and the arching, aching lead-guitar riffs; "Four Letter Word" tries to re-create the dirty, devil-may-care attitude in "Definitely Maybe." Different Gear also lacks vocal diversity: Gallagher's nasally tones becomes tedious by the fifth track, "Wind Up Dream." This one layers guitars with chunky bass and a harmonica for good measure, but Gallagher pushes each note out a little too hard. And that's not the only thing Beady Eye push with too much vigor. "The Roller" opens with chords identical to those of John Lennon's "Instant Karma" (and in the same key), and "Beatles and Stones" enjoys an introduction ripped from the Who's "My Generation." Some might say this is all a cheeky tipping of the hat to past heroes, but such blatant ripoffs are part of a joke that's no longer funny.
