Arriving with the force of a hurricane, {$Oasis}' third album, {^Be Here Now}, is a bright, bold, colorful tour de force that simply steamrolls over any criticism. The key to {$Oasis}' sound is its inevitability -- they are unwavering in their confidence, which means that even the hardest rockers are slow, steady, and heavy, not fast. And that self-possessed confidence, that belief in their greatness, makes {^Be Here Now} intensely enjoyable, even though it offers no real songwriting breakthroughs. {$Noel Gallagher} remains a remarkably talented synthesist, bringing together disparate strands -- {&"D'You Know What I Mean"} has an {$N.W.A} drum loop, a {$Zeppelin-esque} wall of guitars, {\electronica} gurgles, and lyrical allusions to {$the Beatles} and {$Dylan} -- to create impossibly catchy songs that sound fresh, no matter how many older songs he references. He may be working familiar territory throughout {^Be Here Now}, but it doesn't matter because the craftsmanship is good. {&"The Girl in the Dirty Shirt"} is irresistible {\pop}, and epics like {&"Magic Pie"} and {&"All Around the World"} simply soar, while the rockers {&"My Big Mouth,"} {&"It's Getting Better (Man!!),"} and {&"Be Here Now"} attack with a bone-crunching force. {$Noel} is smart enough to balance his classicist tendencies with spacious, open production, filling the album with found sounds, layers of guitars, keyboards, and strings, giving the record its humongous, immediate feel. The sprawling sound and huge melodic hooks would be enough to make {^Be Here Now} a winner, but {$Liam Gallagher}'s vocals give the album emotional resonance. Singing better than ever, {$Liam} injects venom into the rockers, but he also delivers the nakedly emotional lyrics of {&"Don't Go Away"} with affecting vulnerability. That combination of violence and sensitivity gives {$Oasis} an emotional core and makes {^Be Here Now} a triumphant album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide