When you consider that it took Morrissey seven years to make You Are The Quarry, his much praised comeback after 1997's widely panned Maladjusted, it's quite a surprise that the Mozzer has decided to make such a quick follow-up. What's even more astonishing is all the changes that have come about so swiftly in the last year and a half.

Blink 182 producer Jerry Finn, who must undoubtedly be credited with giving Morrissey his freshest sound in years on You Are The Quarry, has been tossed to the wayside on Ringleader for longtime David Bowie and T. Rex producer and legend in his own right Tony Visconti. Also a big variation is Morrissey's change in locales. A longtime resident of L.A, Morrissey now resides in Rome and just one listen to Ringleader will reveal to even the most casual listener the influence it's had on him lyrically. He's also in love! Can you believe it? The self-proclaimed Pope of mope and King of no ___King even goes so far to "out" himself on tracks such as "Dear God Please Help Me" and first single "You Have Killed Me."

I wish that with all these changes I could say that Ringleader is a great album, but alas I cannot. First and foremost Ringleader feels extremely rushed and most of the lyrics seem particularly lazy - something that Morrissey can rarely be accused of. Also, a few of the tracks such as "The Father Who Must Be Killed" and "Life Is A Pigsty" seem to ramble on aimlessly. Morrissey fans who have been trying to forget the mid-90's snoozer Southpaw Grammar will be quick to jump those tracks. This isn't to say that there's nott a lot to like here. "In The Future When All's Well" and "I'll Never Be Anybody's Hero Now" are vintage Morrissey with themes of love lost and love regained. It's also a breath of fresh air (and also kinda weird) to hear Morrissey finally sing about finding someone to love on the aforementioned tracks above. While Ringleader will probably fail to impress the masses like You Are The Quarry did, it's still a worthwhile effort from one of the premier Rock legends of the last 20 years.