Anaesthesine
Angel of Distemper
Hmmm, like it or not, 'That's How People Grow Up' was a hit. And I don't see how Morrissey can be considered to have 'musical gifts' seeing as he's never wrote any music & can't play an instrument.
I'm not having a go, I'm just saying.
As an aside: how cool would it be if Morrissey learned some guitar, wrote some music & made a real 'solo album'?
"That's How People Grow Up" may have charted, but it was not a true "hit." Moz fans bought it, that's all.
Imagine if he had released the far, far superior (and more relevant) "My Dearest Love." It would not have been so perfunctory a success. He may even have captured the hearts of people who did not already like him - that's how you expand your fan base, which is what he seems to want.
As for his musical gifts - he's one of the greatest singers on the planet; you don't achieve such longevity by taking your shirt off and fighting with the press - you get that by seducing people with your voice. He has a great inborn sense of musicality, and it's unique - no one else sounds like him. It's his gift.
I do agree, it would be brilliant if he picked up a guitar and started writing his own songs, but I think he's more than a bit lazy. He once said that he intentionally avoids writing for instruments, that they get in his way.