'Hotel Shampoo' is Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys' third solo album, and his first in nearly four years, since 2007's 'Candylion'. The record was originally intended to be a collection of piano ballads, although when he went into the studio to make 'Hotel Shampoo' the songs evolved into a much more varied assortment of tracks. The album is named after Rhys' habit of hoarding complimentary hotel toiletries whilst on tour.

Dec 2010

Gruff Rhys checks in with third solo album, 'Hotel Shampoo', his most ambitious and fully realized yet. Hotel Shampoo is inspired by, and takes its title from, Gruff's extensive collection of mini shampoo bottles and complimentary hotel products acquired whilst touring the world. "Having never kept a journal these items have become like diary entries, triggering memories of all those buildings and random people I've met and inspiring songs on the album."

Hotel Shampoo's reception desk and opener Shark Ridden Waters (now sold out on 12” but available as a free download) is a slice of kaleidoscopic, cinematic pop music produced by Andy Votel. A dozen equally sumptuous songs follow with Gruff's highly original, cliché-free lyrics ranging over a wide spectrum of topics. Uplifting, mariachi-tinged Sensations In The Dark celebrates discovering music, eco politics is discussed on Conservation Conversation, colonization invades 60s style stomp Christopher Columbus and Patterns Of Power touches on inequality over wailing, distorted guitar. Love in it's various guises also features heavily – from sugar sweet Honey All Over, string drenched At The Heart Of Love, achingly beautiful ballad If We Were Words (We Would Rhyme) to Space Dust #2; a tale of short-lived, seminar-sparked romance in the form of a duet with El Perro Del Mar. In addition to vocals, Gruff has played much of the instrumentation himself with the album mostly recorded in north Wales before being mixed in LA.

"I thought that as i'm getting on a bit, the time had come to buy a suit and record an album of piano ballads. However, I got bored, the record diversified and evolved – things turned out a bit differently..." - Gruff Rhys

• Uncut - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[S]eemingly quirky and trivial, but executed with such honesty and dedication that it acquires an unexpected layer of meaning and poignancy."
• Clash - "HOTEL SHAMPOO shows off a simpler, stripped back Rhys -- whose lyrics are placed front and centre of beautifully arranged tracks, each imbued with an infectious energy."