Album Review: James Iha - Look To The Sky

With so many artists who have been in incredibly successful bands, their solo efforts tend to be indulgent and less than what you would expect. Look To The Sky fortunately has its strong points and works as an adjunct to his persona in The Smashing Pumpkins. There is no lack of credibility on Iha's resume, having worked with A Perfect Circle and numerous other alt-rock stars.

The opening track Make Believe centres on his arpeggiated guitar picking and a lyrical style, not dissimilar to a children's nursery rhyme. Things pick up after that and you can hear the Smashing Pumpkins' guitar sounds on tracks like the single To Who Knows Where and Speed Of Love, which both jump out from the darker and more gothic moments on the album.

Compared to his first solo album Let It Come Down, released 14 years ago, this album is definitely more experimental and not as pop driven. Iha has none of the edge that Billy Corgan brought to the Pumpkins' dark and at times gloomy world of rock. Mind you, Appetite – one of the darker songs – could have easily worked on a Bad Seeds album or made it on a Pumpkins record. Iha is more of an instrumentalist than a singer, so songs like Till Next Tuesday are interesting but lack the killer punch. Still, Look To The Sky is a wonderful reminder of what Iha can bring to any band or recording. He provides the grit and colour so often lacking in lesser performers