Roger DaltreyMoonlighting - The AnthologyReview

Think Roger Daltrey and what springs to mind? If you were to ask me, I'd say raw energy, powerful sensitivity and screaming, and with his new double album, that's exactly what you can expect& lots of it. The rock 'n' roll granddaddy's latest offering, Moonlighting - The Anthology, spans 30 years worth of solo career alongside his 'day-job' as The Who's mic swinging front-man.

The style leaps track by track from rock splendour to over-produced shout-fests. But Daltrey never pretends to be anything he isn't, and you get the idea that he toys with different genres just because he's so genuinely enthusiastic about experimenting with music. There's something fabulously uncynical and appealing about that; it's unafraid, and it makes him inspiring, whether you love his work or not.

The first disc harks back to 1973 and the start of his foray into solo work. His plaintive version of "One Man Band" is so beautiful that it's worth getting the album for this track alone. The simple ballad, "Giving It All Away" (from his debut album) is another thing of beauty, showing Daltrey at his solo best. Nothing if not versatile, he even dips his toe into Motown with "(Come And) Get Your Love" and "Dear John", and it works.

But "Under A Raging Moon", dedicated to the memory of the legendary Keith Moon, is, unfortunately, where it all starts to go a bit production crazy. We are edging into '80s territory here, after all...

Yet he always redeems himself just in time. The second disc opens with a live version of Pete Townshend's masterpiece, "Behind Blue Eyes", glittering with dark emotion, followed by the happily inevitable "Won't Get Fooled Again". Equally enjoyable is Daltrey's sparkling, humorous take on "Mack The Knife", complete with musical theatre ladies warbling away. This charming curiosity displays a seldom heard facet of his unstoppable voice.

The brand new track, "A Second Out" - featuring the song's co-creator Steve McEwan on acoustic guitar and Dave Stewart on keyboard - is a jewel, mainly because it's full of the sensitive and weathered simplicity that was once his trademark.

Although there are some unashamedly iffy moments, there is much to love about this album, like the stripped-back power of his early tracks, or the total sincerity that bursts out of every note Daltrey sings. Hits and near misses aside, he is as deeply a part of the fabric of British music as ever he was, and this album is a fine commemoration of three important and diverse decades for a man who shows no signs of stopping.