Ian Hunter: Shrunken Heads : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

As the voice, sunglasses and songwriting conscience of Mott, Ian Hunter was the smartest guy in British glam, slicing through the spangles with the razor-blade language and moral wrath of mid-Sixties Bob Dylan. Shrunken Heads is one of the best albums Hunter has made since the end of Mott, with its vintage surge ("How's Your House," "Brainwashed") and articulate fury. Much of the latter is political, explicitly so in "Fuss About Nothing" (one of three songs with Wilco's Jeff Tweedy on vocals) and the title track. But Hunter has a right to his outrage -- he has lived in the U.S. for many years. "When the World Was Round" and "Read 'Em and Weep" also affirm the gift for biting worry and longing he displayed in great Mott ballads like "Irene Wilde" and "I Wish I Was Your Mother." All the glitter in the world couldn't hide those shades of gray.