In what is quite definitely his finest effort since the disbanding of The Beautiful South, Paul Heaton at long last returns to some semblance of prior form with his newest "solo" release What Have We Become ... alongside none other than ex-Beautiful South female vocalist Jacqueline Abbott.
A fine point put there, as note: Heaton has struggled and flailed (though not entirely failed, mind you) on every effort he's made to re-invent his career as a solo artist. Recall when The Beautiful South took temporary hiatus in 2001, his first attempt at a solo record, the aptly titled Fat Chance, was an utter commercial disappointment - even after a re-release effort was made very shortly after its initial release, aimed solely at trying to spark appeal for it! Still, Heaton ignored that barometer, if you will, of things to come, shat out another three painfully lackluster Beautiful South albums, and then declared them disbanded - and himself pursuing a solo career.
