Being a huge fan of Beautiful South, I knew I just couldn't wait for their first album in four years, so here I sit with a 30 dollar imported copy of their new album Gaze. If purchasing this has taught me anything it's this; First, I need to take my brain in for a tune-up for paying 30 dollars for a CD. And second, even bands like Beautiful South who I thought were incapable of something like mediocrity can indeed wander down that road on occasion. Lead singer and songwriter Paul Heaton has always been a wise ass, and Lord knows that is his charm. Unfortunately for him though, I think his cleverness is starting to run thin. His gay pride song "101% Man" just isn't funny, in fact it's embarrassing and almost down right offensive. Most of the new songs on Gaze are even stretching it on rhyme structure. You know he's desperate for a line when he tries to rhyme words like soared and abroad. Goodness. You might as well try rhyming adored and fraud together. Oh wait he does that too. Oh well, no one's perfect. The entire album isn't a complete wash though. Alison Wheeler's vocals on "Half of Him" is downright precious, and "The Gates" is a great song about getting into heaven. For the most part though, Gaze is a definite disappointment. If you consider yourself a moderate fan of the English folk scene, their greatest hits album is still the best road to take.