Now this is one of those albums that makes your toes tap independently of your fingers cos there's so much happening inside this wonderful array of very sophisticated pop bridged by sophisticated high gloss pop rock. As soon as you've recovered from that instant appreciative awareness of the fact that your listening to something really special, you find something else to admire and something else to positively enjoy!
Crying for a rainfall is what opens this superb album up with it's happily themed and fun laced lyrics and superb vocals. Right on top of some absolutely brilliant bass work and the occasional magical guitar tapestry, the song unfolds in a highly original and accomplished arrangement setting. Looking at the high gloss production, courtesy of the guys at the desk and mastering corner, it's not hard to see that these guys have done a great job in making this track perfect for radio... perfect for those who need some colour sprinkling across the pathways of their lives. One question is another example of Hedgear's brilliantly flexible compositional and production power. It's very clever pop rock with musicians that know what they're doing and oh how they do their thing so well! Watch out for the superb drum work and guitar bits particularly around the 2.30 mark... amazing!
The last to know confirms (as if it hadn't been obvious earlier) that Ussher is one hell of a songwriter... the song opens with some lovely guitar that's followed by some truly 'eloquent bass playing' that you don't often find so perfectly played in this genre. How these guys came together to work together and produce this album together is an act of God... and this song shows how huge their blessing really was! I really wanna say that this is my favourite track on the album but then, as I write, I have absolutely no idea what's gonna follow so I'll wait! Just let me say that the guitar solo is mouth wateringly amazing and it does your head good too!
It's always the same thing is such a lovely surprise... I love the vocals... very unique and perfect for this kinda music. The musicians seem afraid to disappoint us because the playing is of such an incredibly high calibre... they needn't worry .. there's so much excellence in each player that you have a hard time trying to stay focused on one thing for too long before being dragged by the feet to the next thing... try it... listen to the guitar work and then have a think about the enriched and highly accomplished lyrics and you'll see what I mean! Running blind opens with a little sprinkling of blown musical air to make way for the vocals. It's a little intimately introspective lyrically but introspective is fine when it's in good hands and believe me... it's in very very good hands here! We're now at track 5 and expectations for the rest of this album are now set to HIGH. That's because this brilliantly delivered love song convinces you of nothing else! So... by the time we get to Eyes we're completely convinced of this band's tremendously creative and commercial power. I don't think I've had a moment in listening to this album so far that has pulled me away from 'the amazement gaze at the speakers'. Again, we're treated to highly skilled and highly synchronized musicians and as I started life as a bass player... I have to say the bass for this track is beyond flawless... it's actually highly melodic and innovative... drawing on what stood out from some of the most amazing bass players to have emerged from the 70's and 80's in particular. So I can say that Luchese must have loved working on this album!
I fell down is a wonderful song in every sense of the world... the kinda thing that makes you wish you could see this band live... but then getting to the front of the stage by meandering through a100,000 capacity audience would take quite a lot of effort! Musically, this track has reflections of Rush, but then it has reflections of Yes, and I'm so tempted to add a 'progressive rock/pop' tag, but I think listening too what is essentially pure studio embraced magic is a real treat whatever kind of label you'd want to apply! Ok... I'll risk saying that this is my most favourite track so far! See... I've said it now!
This paragraph was strictly reserved for the next track but I still have I fell down running around my head... what an amazing piece of work it was!
Indifferent has a lovely orginal opening with guitar, bass, and a hint of piano opening the gateway to the lyrics and vocals. Since track one (Crying for a rainfall) every song has been delivered with a substantial offering of cleverness in the collective musicianship but in this song, the songwriting takes pride of place. Now you have to think about that... expert and highly blessed players working with such amazing lyrics... what an incredibly magnificent audio delight and what a magnificently talented band! She was my lover makes me wish I hadn't said the other track was my favourite... I knew it was a stupid thing to do.. I'm not psychic... I couldn't have possibly known that this brilliant song was on the horizon! Not only is this song brilliant.. it's one of the best songs from this genre that I have ever heard in my life. I want to phone everyone and say 'LISTENNNNNNNNN! TO THIS!!!!!!!' I think I will anyway!
Lonely rider is dare I say it again... a magnificent piece of work delivered straight to your heart and soul by a magnificent band... your head isn't left in the cold either with it's disbe3lief suspension mode switched to on by default! The sax, courtesy of Elias Maria is one of the most incredible sax accompaniments I've heard in years! What a spellbinding talent! Watch out again for the drums bass and guitar work... you will be unable to move for a while but it's such a worthwhile and satisfying thing to do!
Meant to be the one (NMCJ) is one of the most colourful and blindingly refreshing songs I've heard in such a long time. The arrangements is so innovative you end up spellbound within the first 60 seconds and let's be honest... when was the last time a song remotely like this did that to you? You see that's what really winds me up about artists like Hedgear... why can't I walk into my local record store and join a queue or line up of approximately ten dozen people making the purchase for this album? Well... the answer to that burning question shouldn't be too far off for Hedgear... but then there's an awful lot of stupid people in this industry!
The album ends with a superb bonus at track 12 - it's an 80s style electronic beat pop thing simply and quite aptly called Bonus. (it's really the electropop dance version of I Fell Down). Now this is the kind of thing that you'd wanna hear on your way to work... to wake you up... to make you feel good about the way you are gonna make the rest of the day go. Superb vocals and keyboard work are balanced above the lyrics like a pop trapeze above a very nicely laid out safety net. Within what seems like microseconds, your consciousness is engaged yet again by the magnificence of it all... but then this astonishing album ends and you feel like you've just been mugged by someone invisible... robbed of your right to pleasure of the first sensually delighted division! The wonder of it all is supplied on a Hedgear CD that you seriously need to possess as soon as possible!
