Review: Colin Hay Offers Another Example of His Everlasting Appeal

Updated:

March 25, 2022 10:00 am

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Colin Hay/Now and the Evermore/Compass Records
Four out of Five Stars

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Colin Hay has long since abandoned his proviso as a Man at Work and focused his labors instead on a stunning solo career that’s found him sharing his skills as an astute singer/songwriter and fully qualified Americana insider. His association with Compass Records and Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band have further solidified his status as a true class act, that is, an artist whose music is gleaned from both his heart and soul.

Hay’s latest, Now and the Evermore, is yet another evocative effort, one that demonstrates yet again the fact that he’s an erstwhile troubadour, whose sunny disposition and ongoing optimism never fails to impress. Naturally then, songs bearing titles such as “Love Is Everywhere” and “Into the Bright Lights” (notably, the only outside composition of the entire set) reflect that amiable attitude, but at the same time, the tone and tempo convey that notion as well. “The Sea of Always” belies its pessimistic pronouncements (The politicians they’re still lying/And I can hear that baby crying) by virtue of its breezy melody. The cooing sentiments of “Starfish and Unicorns,” the shimmering sound of “Undertow,” the lilting “Agatha Bell,” and the fiesta-flavored “Man Without a Name” further affirm the sunny disposition and Hay’s allowance for sweeter sentiments. His vocals, dusky yet expressive, add their own imprint on these songs, offering an emotive perspective that gives the material a poignancy and personality all its own.

Coming quickly on the heels of Hay’s last effort, I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself, a collection of cover songs released barely nine months before, Now and the Evermore is, as its name suggests, an album that carries him forward that much further by reaffirming a style and stance that neatly fits within his own carefully conceived niche. To be more specific, it’s fair to say that Now and the Evermore is, in fact, an album for the ages.

Photo courtesy Missing Piece Group