The Wind Cries Mary

This is an import from Australia and gives a flavor of what is happening down there from the viewpoint of an American born in Ohio, but now a resident of the land down under. He first came to be known as the singer/songwriter of Shaddap You Face, long about 1981. It was a raging hit in most English speaking countries, (and as I foggily remember, back then I couldn't stand the song), but then he seemed to disappear for quite some time. Lo and behold, here he surfaces with a varied and pleasant disc of mixed folk and blues with a dash of pop thrown in for good measure and spice. Linn Van Hek, who is best known for her sound track on The Terminator, joins him here on some songs, and they swap lead vocals. Her voice adds a good touch particularly to his version of the Jimi Hendrix classic, Wind Cries Mary (Third Stone from the Sun). It is an interesting and satisfying disc, he doesn't stand in one spot for too long and goes where his muse carries him. He wrote, or co-wrote many of the songs on the disc, and the others are pulled from various sources and redone by him. He mixes and matches to great advantage pulling a 19th century lyric by Louisa Lawson next to a song written after the invasion of Iraqi. It is a moving disc at times though there are also times when it helps to be more familiar with the Australian language and idioms.

Track List:

Edited by: David N. Pyles
(dnpyles@acousticmusic.com)