23 July 1992
Phil Collins is already, by 1992, left in the ’80s elephants’ graveyard. However, Phil Collins-ism—sour, middle-aged misogynistic songs dressed up as Everyman coffee-table soul—remained a variant of concern. Here, the thing of which there isn’t any doubt is that “a woman like you is no good for me”. Oh, and whenever she says anything in the song, “she’s lying”. Collins, the unctuous prat, made a career out of this junk-grade soul and weapons-grade sexism. Couldn’t this sort of retrograde whinge just have been left to rot in the ’80s along with him?
And yet… this almost comes good. Jimmy Nail, real name James Bradford and who got his stage name after a factory-floor accident where he impaled his foot on a spike, has a rumpled charm and delivers this with a gruff humour Collins never had. The song at least gives the woman a voice, and Sylvia Mason-James’ sweet vocals win us to her side: she could well be a liar, but at least she isn’t a dumped loser guy, and Nail’s character knows it. ‘Ain’t No Doubt’ almost redeems its disagreeable premise – but not quite.
