Taken (without premission - sorry!) from NME.COM

                      EMBRACE 
                       The Good Will Out 
                       (Hut) 


                      AT LAST. AFTER ALL THEIR grandiose claims, their futile
                      obsession with Oasis and this record's seemingly endless delays,
                      here's something we can work with. What could have been a
                      debut album of hollow gestures, obsessed with size and choked by
                      pressures, instead offers 1998 the light at the end of the tunnel: an
                      album by a British band that actually stands comparison with
                      'Definitely Maybe'. 

                      Not that it's a similar record. Embrace are the very opposite of the
                      corrosive rock'n'roll sensibility that marked Oasis' debut. 'The
                      Good Will Out' is an album of uplifting optimism that substitutes
                      vulnerability for bravado, and heartfelt sentiment for boisterous
                      thrills. And as such, it more than reflects the characters of those
                      who created it. 

                      The McNamara brothers may occasionally appear a perversely
                      worthy duo (professional Northerners, suspiciously teetotal, not
                      renowned for their sense of humour) but without those traits, 'The
                      Good Will Out' would have been a different (and arguably poorer)
                      album. Recorded in Huddersfield - via New York and Abbey
                      Road, London - it has the sound of a record fuelled by love, as
                      opposed to drugs, one they've poured their souls into, and one
                      designed to touch rather than incite the listener. 

                      What remains is a romantic, but instantly recognisable, album.
                      With only seven out of the 14 tracks previously unreleased, much
                      of 'The Good Will Out' will already be familiar to most Embrace
                      fans. A cop-out? Well, only if you've already hardened your heart
                      against them. After all, why wouldn't you put all your best
                      material on your debut? 

                      Besides, such criticisms appear painfully irrelevant after you've
                      been swept away by the impassioned emotional magnitude of the
                      first half of this record. Beginning with 40 seconds of psychedelic
                      orchestral de-tuning, there's a rattle of kettle drums and then 'All
                      You Good Good People'. Rerecorded yet again, it appears here in
                      its most pristine form to date: an incredible, multi-sectioned
                      symphonic anthem that introduces you to both Embrace's lyrical
                      clarity and epic ability with a chorus. 

                      'My Weakness Is None Of Your Business' immediately follows in
                      an ocean of maudlin strings and keening self-doubt to obliterate
                      any lingering doubts about Danny's ability to either a) hold a tune
                      or b) convey the profoundest emotions. It's also a reminder of why
                      all the truly outstanding moments on this LP are ballads
                      (something we'll return to later). First though, you're lifted
                      skywards by the two magnificent singles - 'Come Back To What
                      You Know' and 'One Big Family' - before reaching the first real
                      pinnacle with 'Higher Sights' and 'Retread'. 

                      Doomed and deeply romantic, both these songs reverberate with
                      the same passion as 'Urban Hymns' or any early Bunnymen
                      record. 'Retread', in particular, with its devastating account of a
                      collapsing relationship ("Now I feel so insecure/I can't save
                      something I feel so much for") is proof that Embrace demand to
                      be judged against the greats of British music. 

                      Which brings us to the only problem. While Embrace excel at
                      introspection, they're not so confident with crazed hedonism. They
                      were not born rock ｭ and even though a new song like 'I Want
                      The World' might fly by in a flailing excess of wah-wah pedals
                      and feedback, it doesn't feel entirely comfortable. The same is
                      equally true of 'You've Got To Say Yes' and 'Last Gas', both
                      sound fantastic, all slashing, needle-sharp guitars and firecracker
                      choruses, but neither take you to the same altitude as the rest of
                      the album. 

                      Ultimately, though, it's a minor complaint, because the closing
                      three tracks here are among the most beautiful sounds you'll hear
                      all year. Stately and elegant piano pieces, 'That's All Changed
                      Forever', 'Now You're Nobody' and 'The Good Will Out' are
                      exactly what make Embrace unique. It's hard to think of any other
                      contemporary group who could match the emotional clarity and
                      wavering romance which pierce the spine of these songs, while
                      only the cynical could accuse them of being a contrived attempt to
                      occupy the middle ground between Oasis and The Verve. It just
                      confirms what's always been apparent throughout. This is one of
                      the great debut albums of the past decade. 

                      All you've got to do is open your heart. 9/10 

                                                          James Oldham