In the Best Possible Taste

The final studio offering from pre-Brit-pop U.K. darlingsKingmaker, In the Best Possible Taste is a pompous, sprawling expression of bandleader/singer/songwriter Loz Hardy's considerable talent and ego. A little too serious to be taking seriously, Hardy tries a little too hard to be clever, and his Billy Idol-meets-glam rock delivery comes off a little cartoonish at times. Joining Hardy on this 1995 Chrysalis release are bandmates John Andrews on drums and Miles Howell on bass. Together, the trio make a decent enough pop/rock noise fans of more significant early-'90s British rockers like the Stone Roses might find vaguely familiar. Just because every syllable uttered by Hardy is completely overwrought doesn't mean that he never makes his point; the singer/songwriter actually pulls off more than a few decent moments on In the Best Possible Taste. The near-epic "Sometimes I Think She Takes Me Along Just for the Ride" is a fine example of Hardy's ability to make interesting, existential pop despite his propensity for excessive and unnecessary verbiage. Kingmaker deserved their king-sized Brit buzz in the early '90s if for nothing else, the pure audacity to make music this self-important with a straight face.