Pitchfork

There's nothing you can do that can't be done by Morrissey. Um, particularly if what you do consists of crooning debonairly about your greatness in front of the brawny modern-rock backing that has characterized the Pope of Mope's last couple of albums, including the material compiled on last year's Greatest Hits. Last night on "The Late Late Show", Moz reminded us just why in a performance of new UK single "All You Need Is Me", his relaxed, gentlemanly demeanor shining through his band's driving bass, crunchy guitars, and accomplished, uptempo beat-keeping. Steven Patrick's talk of people destructively obsessing over him sounds like more than mere self-aggrandizement coming off the latest round of "Is he racist?" outrage in the UK press. "You're gonna miss me when I'm gone," he sings, proceeding to roll his r's in one of those weird vocal tics that are inimitably Morrissey. Love is natural and real, but not for such as him-- a charming, easily misunderstood bigmouth to the bitter end he's been welcoming for decades.

[original track from Greatest Hits; out now on Polydor/Decca]