Jesse is just waaaayyyy two heavy-handed for Morrissey's music from the Smiths days through early solo stuff.
He has shown himself incapable of delicacy and finesse as lead guitarist. Plus his tone is just awful. Very often he sounds like he is just guessing at how to play early Moz/Smiths.
I frankly can't stand him in the band.
sometimes i agree about the tone. im a player but not one who uses a bunch of different models, i mostly play a semi acoustic ovation or a les paul, but someone told me once that the strat he plays has something to do with it but i dont know for sure. as for renditions of smiths songs those i saw seemed fine and from ever review ive read from rolling stone to spin etc has said they were pretty much played right on note for note. most reviews speak highly of the current band
from the guardian:
"in front of a backing band much invigorated by the advent of new arrival Gustavo Manzur.
Musical director Boz Boorer has been the rockabilly Sancho Panza to Morrissey’s Brylcreemed Don Quixote since 1991, but this old dog has also learned some new tricks lately. Typical of the recent material that provides the bulk of tonight’s set – no less than nine songs are taken from 2014’s World Peace is None of Your Business – is the improbably irresistible Staircase at the University, wherein a morbidly self-parodic lyric about the demise of a tragically overworked student (“March, April, May, she crammed night and day...”) is somehow redeemed by a ridiculously catchy tune, complete with horn break, flamenco guitar interlude and handclaps."
also from a the guardian but from a different show, "Kiss Me A Lot, which is Morrissey’s best pop song in some time"
"by the time the band explodes into The Queen Is Dead, security have given up trying to stem the flow of fans running up to the stage and euphoria wins out as" (doesnt sound like it was played horribly )
from clevescene:
"Throughout the set, the band alternated between dark and moody sonic textures (a particularly gritty guitar solo distinguished “Istanbul,” which was made all more dramatic with some dark red lights) and folk-inflected pop (“Staircase at the University,” which concluded with an acoustic guitar solo). Morrissey’s voice sounded terrific and his backing band capably kept up with the mood shifts and delivered a spot-on rendition of the careening Smiths tune “Stop Me if You Think You’ve Heard This One Before.”"
from the nme:
"He shakes maracas during ‘Staircase At The University’, a tale of the suicide of an exam-pressured overworked daughter, accompanied by joyous flamenco guitars and blaring trumpets. ‘Kiss Me A Lot’ too, is tinged with flamenco flourishes. The world music theme of the record even extends to a mariachi rework of ‘First Of The Gang To Die’, from 2004’s ‘You Are The Quarry’."
from indy week:
"Solo Morrissey has always favored a backing band in matching outfits, and his was decked out in dockworker denim livery, complete with suspenders, but their personalities as players shined through nonetheless. Long-time collaborator, guitarist Boz Boorer, commanded the left side of the stage, the right flank being held down multi-instrumentalist Gustavo Manzur, whose influence is apparent on the latest album, World Peace Is None Of Your Business, with it’s many world music-tinged tunes. The band was incredibly tight, and in top form, to the point where a happy accident was not likely to happen."
you may not like him and music is somewhat personal and relative but the opinion at large seems to be his songs were pretty awesome on the last album and that the band is as good as ever
