Colin Hay
Peaks & Valleys

LA RECENSIONE

A beautiful album by Colin, perfectly minimalist: just him, his (gorgeous) voice and his acoustic guitar (confident, effective, mic’d to perfection). The only exception is the addition of an Australian singer-songwriter colleague of his, and that is just in one track.

The forty-eight minutes of the record hold up wonderfully and create an atmosphere you wish would never end. Colin keeps a sober approach on the guitar, mostly strumming rather than fingerpicking in arpeggio. Variations include the occasional use of a twelve-string as well as a couple of open tunings: the latter being used predominantly, if you listen closely, to make his guitar playing deeper and more intense. Nothing else: no percussion, overdubs, backing vocals, digital “pads”, noises, or special effects.

A great singer and pop composer, this Scottish expat in Australia deserved a much better known and recognized career. His unique style of melodizing and his unmistakable chord progressions, once you become familiar with them, feel both familiar and precious. His baritone timbre, which has grown slightly raspier over the years (here we are still in 1992, his third solo album), is a mix of melancholy, irony, retreat, yearning, and strength. I find it truly captivating.

This is a work constructed almost entirely alone with the simple, fundamental help of a highly professional sound engineer, in a Melbourne studio owned by his former Men At Work saxophone bandmate, Warren Ham.

Thirteen tracks, none screaming for special mention, not a single filler. It’s truly an immersion in a small, flavorful world, free from frills and pomp. You feel cleansed, you escape into a small, artisanal world of great talent, and you spend three quarters of an hour in the most pleasant and inspiring way.