Janet Street-Porter wrote:Jesus, all this negativity! I suppose you'll be happy when they're no longer around to release singles and today you could have bought the new one from James 'Interesting' Morrison instead. Numb will never be my favourite PSB track but it was always going to be a single once they'd recorded it. The cover art is gorgeous and obviously a metaphor for AIDS. Once you get over the fact that it's a Diane Warren song you may appreciate it more.
The only reason why I like the Numb single release is the fact that we get two new B-sides. The radio edit of Numb is something I wish hadn't heard. If it were for that version of Numb alone, I would have preferred no third single at all.
The cover art is OK, but nothing spectacular nor original (check The Understanding by Röyksopp, for instance). Not that it matters: I don't buy PSB singles for their cover art, but for the content. Fortunately Party Song and Bright Young Things are good.
Numb is a
great song. I'm already way over the fact that Diane Warren penned it. Numb is easily one of the best tracks on Fundamental and after two uptempo singles, it was justified to pick a slower song for 3rd single. The only serious options were Numb and Indefinite Leave To Remain. - They picked Numb, fine, but the radio edit ruins the song for me.
This, combined with the fact that CD1 doesn't offer value for money, will probably cause Numb to land outside the UK Top 20; the first single to do so in 15 years time, breaking a string of 20 UK Top 20 hits in a row. So if I also take that into consideration, I can only say: I wish this single never happened.
The James Morrison track is great, by the way.