Cause and Effect

This is the first time I've been speechless to write a review on a CD. This CD is one awesome, fantastic comeback. What a fantastic collection of songs. Every song on ths CD is brilliant. The guys are older now more mature and Tom's voice proves that. I'm just blown away by this awesome, fantastic, out of this world CD. There are 5 bonus tracks. Two are original songs. The other three songs (The Way I Feel; Stupid Things and I'm Not Leaving) are bonus tracks but are acoustic versions from the Sea Fog sessions. "Thread" is one song that stands out. What a beautiful ballad. The Way I Feel is their new single release and a great song. I would think that Love Too Much would be an excellent choice for a follow up single release. Like I said, every song on this new CD is brilliant. The guys sound refreshed and really rock on this one. On a scale of 1 - 10, I give it 100! This is one CD that is well worth the money. I most definitely highly recommend it. Guarantee you will not be disappointed. In my opinion, this has to be their best so far.

Oh, my...Seven years waiting. SEVEN!! And at last my favorite band puts another record on the market. Was the waiting worth it? Yes and no.No, because seven years without you have been too damn long, boys. Yes, because if those years were necessary to make this jewel, then OK, we fans are patient.To me, this is their most rounded CD since Under the Iron sea. I wouldn't take away any of this songs. All of them have a moment, a lyric, a specially gorgeous delivery by Tom, that put them among their best.And boy, does Tom deliver beautifully here. The painful Thread, the falsetto in I'm not leaving, the darker hue in Strange room, the longing in I need your love...Tim personal hurting shows in every track. The lyrics hurt. That final gut punch in Thread (I don't know why I said I'm not in love with you) was almost overwhelming. I cried the first time I understood the lyrics to The night sky (English is obviously not my first language), and this time I almost wept again.Richard and Jesse base all the songs tightly, so even when there are threats of losing control, everything goes back on track at the perfect time. I speak of losing control beacause most of the songs have a change of tempo and even colour (You're not home, Put the radio on, change radically at the end) that enriches them.Are the bonus tracks good enough to get the Deluxe version? Yes. Not as unmissable as in Strangeland, where Myth, Strangeland and It's not true raised the overall calification of the CD, I'd say the Deluxe version is the one to get. New golden age alone justifies the extra cash, but there are more!Final verdict: A triumph, a resounding and total triumph. Sometimes the old adagio is true. Only with pain can the highest art be achieved. I'm sorry for all your losses, guys, and I'm thankful and blessed that you decided to turn them into something so beautiful.

Wow! This is a future classic in my opinion. Every song is stunning, a journey through TIm Rice-Oxley's turbulent few years and out the other side. There are some raw, dark lyrics but also lots of hope too. I would suggest finding a nice quiet place and listening to this album through good quality headphones to appreciate the pure brilliance that is Cause And Effect!The album opener, You're Not Home has Sigur Ros/Jonsi vibes and it builds to a fantastic crescendo towards the end. This is one of my favourites and is the perfect song to open the album.The two singles, Love Too Much & The Way I Feel are brilliant. Love Too Much has quite a poppy feel to it, like a modern Everybody's Changing, whereas The Way I Feel is most like the rocky brashness of Is It Any Wonder and has some very meaningful lyrics about depression.Put The Radio On is a genius track. It sounds like Keane before they were famous. It reminds me of Russian Farmer’s Song, mixed with a dash of Atlantic. This has the potential to be in my top 5 Keane songs of all time, the more I listen to it. The second half is so unexpected and epic!Strange Room is extremely dark but heart-breaking lyrics. You’ll find it hard not to shed a tear when listening to this song.Stupid Things immediately stood out when listening to this album for the first time. It is the third single and I can see why! It is very catchy and I think this is going to get stuck in my head (In a good way!) Love it.Phases is a classic Keane pop-rock song with some great lyrics. I think this is going to grow on me and become another song that gets stuck in my head!I’m Not Leaving is a beautiful song, a message to Tim’s daughters. Richard’s drumming in this really stood out for me and after a few listens it is really growing on me.Thread – I’ve listened to this delicate song a couple of times now and it’s another song that is a classic Keane ‘grower’, the more you listen to it, the better it gets! So many Keane songs are like that, I would encourage people to listen to Keane songs 3 or 4 times at least before passing judgement on them.Chase The Night Away is utterly brilliant. It is a modern day Somewhere Only We Know in my eyes! I really think this could do very well if it was released as a single, perhaps around Christmas time. It is the most hopeful song on the record, a love song with wonderful lyrics and a catchy chorus. It is probably my favourite song on the album at the moment.I Need Your Love is a fantastic album closer. Another classic example of Keane building a song to a bold climax. I think this will become a favourite of mine too after a few more listens!The two bonus songs and the acoustic variations are also well worth a listen! I especially like the acoustic version of The Way I Feel.Overall, Cause And Effect is highly deserving of the 5-star rating I have given it. Now, go and listen for yourself!

I reviewed this album (unfavourably) after just one listen - mistake. I should have known Keane's music has a unique 'grow-on-you' appeal & given it more of a chance. Now, after half a dozen listens, I'd say it's not bad at all. But is it their best, as some reviews suggest? Well, let's put it this way: if you wanted to convince someone that Keane are the greatest group in the world, you wouldn't offer this album as evidence. It leans more towards Perfect Symmetry in sound rather than Strangeland, which I (& Tom Chaplin, at the time of its release) rate as their peak. Certainly, the tunes are not as strong as that classic. Hard to pick a best track, though, as they're all quite even, but Love too much, Put the radio on & The way I feel stand out, while the soulful I need your love also stands out, but for different reasons - it doesn't seem their style at all, more Leo Sayer! Overall, if Keane fans buy this, I don't think they'll be disappointed, but they need to be prepared to persevere with it, as it doesn't have the instant appeal of Strangeland.