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I don't know what album I bought but it obviously wasn't the same as everyone else. For me 'If You've Never Been' is by far the lesser of Embrace's albums. Whilst 'The Good Will Out' was technically raw, it did have it all. It was full of melody, boasted an array of tempos, with awesome riffs, heartfelt piano and breathtaking brass sections. The only downside to 'The Good Will Out' was that it was only 58 minutes long. Yeah I know. 'Drawn From Memory' then set about correcting some of the over enthusiasm that went into the first record. And to be fair they did achieve this, but it did come at a cost. Whilst the songs were far slicker in their production, some were evidently lacking that X factor that adorned 'The Good Will Out'. 'If You've Never Been' only continued this theme by continuing to improve production at cost to the songs. Now don't get me wrong 'If You've Never Been' isn't bad, its just that its pleasant and that's wherein lies the problem. Songs like 'I Hope Your Happy Now', 'Many Will Learn', 'Its Gonna Take Time', 'Hey What Are You Trying To Say' and 'If You've Never Been In Love With Anything' are nice enough but not songs to jump up and down about. And while the rest are of a higher quality (except the unpleasant 'Happiness Will Get You In The End') they not as proficient as all that came before and hence why 'Wonder' and 'Make It Last' didn't chart too well. Fear not though because Embrace will be back because in Danny McNamara they do have Britain's premier melody maker. For confirmation of this you only have to listen to 'Over', a song that should have been greater than its parts but sadly wasn't. My only hope now is that they continue to move forward because some of their instrumental sections of late have been very impressive, but also take a step back by re-tracing the steps that a few years ago made them Britain's most exciting band.

Rating: 3 out of 5

This is Embrace's third Album, and it's their best yet. They've roped in Ken Nelson (Coldplay's Producer) to help make this masterpiece with them. And in the process made Coldplay sound like Hear'say. 'Over', 'Wonder' and 'Make it last' are quite simply genius. 'If You've Never been in love with anything' shares the quirkiness of Badly Drawn Boy (another one of Ken's happy customers) with its use of an accordion. And 'Happiness Will Get You in the End' is just beautiful. Listen and You'll understand.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Having loved, in places, 'The Good Will Out', and then been very dissapointed with 'Drawn from memory', I wasn't sure whether to invest in this album, but I'm glad I did. It is their most consistent album yet, with a more gentle, melodic overall feel, than their previous outings. They write such great tunes and simple, but quite meaningful, lyrics that often resonate with some aspect of my life and thought. And the heavily criticised voice? Well, the songs on 'If You've never been' suit Danny McNamara's voice particularly well, even if his voice will never rank among the best. I guess you make the best out of what you've got. This album is a good antidote to the depressing, far too clever by half, rock music by such overated bands as Radiohead. It's uplifting and a singalonga treat. One of the albums of the year for what it's worth. I can't give four and a half stars so, although not perfect of course, I will give it 5.Keep reading the philosophy Embrace and keep crafting great melody.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Having loved, in places, 'The Good Will Out', and then been very dissapointed with 'Drawn from memory', I wasn't sure whether to invest in this album, but I'm glad I did. It is their most consistent album yet, with a more gentle, melodic overall feel, than their previous outings. They write such great tunes and simple, but quite meaningful, lyrics that often resonate with some aspect of my life and thought. And the heavily criticised voice? Well, the songs on 'If You've never been' suit Danny McNamara's voice particularly well, even if his voice will never rank among the best. I guess you make the best out of what you've got. This album is a good antidote to the depressing, far too clever by half, rock music by such overated bands as Radiohead. It's uplifting and a singalonga treat. One of the albums of the year for what it's worth. I can't give four and a half stars so, although not perfect of course, I will give it 5.Keep reading the philosophy Embrace and keep crafting great melody.

Rating: 5 out of 5