Tired of Hanging Around

If Geno Washington were still making records, he would probably sound a lot like the Zutons. Then again, Dexys Midnight Runners, who brought many pop fans' attention to the great soul man in the early '80s, are also forerunners of the Zutons. Tired of Hanging Around was the second album by the Liverpool band and was even more assured than the group's debut offering, Who Killed...... The Zutons. Not that they had changed much — they really didn't need to, for there was no one making music quite like the Zutons, the voice of David McCabe able to handle songs as diverse as "Secrets," which was a throwback to the sleazy early-'80s sound just before synth pop took over, and "Why Can't You Give Me Your Love?," the first single taken from the album, which also had a retro feel — but going back even further to the 1960s garage rock bands. There was a little bit of everything here, including the powerful sax playing of Abi Harding — obvious on every track but not dominant — and Boyan Chowdhury's guitar work, which was original and innovative (and would soon be missed, as he left the band not long afterwards). They unashamedly lifted the intro of Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" for their song "Valerie," but the song was so good that one could forgive them almost anything; indeed, Amy Winehouse took the same song into the Top Ten for the second time within two years with a very different version. What a pity they released Tired of Hanging Around in the same week as Shayne Ward's album; otherwise, there would have been some real music at the top of the charts.