Ian Brown
"Keep What Ya Got"
(Koch)

I bet this was the conversation between Ian Brown and Noel Gallagher while recording "Keep What Ya Got":

Noel: No, no, Ian, THIS is how you write a song. This is why the last Stone Roses record was rubbish.
Ian: Oh really? Then why are the last two Oasis records total shite?
Noel: Touche, Ian. Touche.

The truth is, the latest from the former Stone Roses vocalist, at least this song from this fourth solo album, isn't half bad (which may be because, well, Gallagher co-wrote it.) It's epic, slightly moving, has some chilling piano, and is, above all, testament to Brown's staying power. The first legit single of 2005.