Following the breakup of
the Smiths,
Morrissey needed to prove that he was a viable artist without
Johnny Marr, and
Viva Hate fulfilled that goal with grace. Working with producer
Stephen Street and guitarist
Vini Reilly (of
the Durutti Column),
Morrissey doesn't drastically depart from the sound of
Strangeways, Here We Come, offering a selection of 12 jangling guitar pop sounds. One major concession is the presence of synthesizers -- which is ironic, considering
the Smiths' adamant opposition to keyboards -- but neither the sound, nor
Morrissey's wit, is diluted. And while the music is occasionally pedestrian,
Morrissey compensates with a superb batch of lyrics, ranging from his conventional despair ("Little Man, What Now?," "I Don't Mind If You Forget Me") to the savage political tirade of "Margaret on a Guillotine." Nevertheless, the two masterstrokes on the album -- the gorgeous "Everyday Is Like Sunday" and the infectious "Suedehead" -- were previously singles, and both are on the compilation
Bona Drag. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine