Colin Hay: Colin Back Into the Light

Some voices never truly go away (and rightly so). I was sitting at a garage sale the other day, and my sister-in-law had some cool stuff rolling out of her mp3 player, which was rigged up to some big stereo speakers in the drive-way. So there I was, baking my brains, when in the back of my mind I thought 'man, I know that voice...what is that voice?' It kind of bugged me for about 20 minutes before I finally go the revelation.

Men at Work! The Australian sensation who told us all about 'Down Under' and vegamite (nasty stuff that belongs down under if you ask me...I had an Australian room-mate in college...it's a long story) and had us all singing about a land few of us had visited.

But more specifically, the voice was Men At Work frontman, Colin Hay. Colin, a great, story-teller from a generation raised on sunshine, sand and wry humor, never really went away. His 'American Sunshine' is a wonderful album that observes neo-Americana as days in the sun, where life is still fresh and new, despite horrors around the world. Check out songs like 'Baby Can I See You Tonight' or the lovely 'There's Water Over You' and hear the soulful depth Hay's voice has acquired over time.

Somewhere between Peter Gabriel and, well, Colin Hay, this album is thoughtful and instantly lovable. A lot like Richard Page's post-Mr. Mister work, the mostly acoustic backdrop and spot-on melodies showcase Hay's great vocal sensibilities absolutely perfectly. Years ago I had seen an acoustic version of Men At Work's 'Down Under', and I was instantly enchanted by how great Hay sounded with just his voice and an acoustic guitar. This work really follows that model well (though there are some stellar band arrangements here as well), and it would be great to see Hay experiment with this some more, perhaps even getting some guest stars to duet (James Taylor comes to mind) or lend an acoustic guitar here and there (ex-Eagle, Don Felder would be an inspired choice).

Some of our greatest voices end up being a world away from the note-perfect warblers American Idol cranks out, and nothing could better describe Hay. Colin's voice is like a good pair of shoes: instantly familiar, comfortable and never to be thrown away. Check out 'American Sunshine' and Hay's other cool work at colinhay.com.