Next Year People

As the singer for ‘80s superstars Men at Work, Colin Hay made a strong enough impression to establish a solo career that features the type of classic, guitar-based pop music that hasn’t been in fashion since the early ‘80s. Songs here like “If I Had Been a Better Man,” “Did You Just Take the Long Way Home,” and “I Want You Back” would likely have been hits had they appeared 30 years ago. Hay’s clean production pushes his voice far in front to put great emphasis on his smart, natural lyrics. The title track tells stories of Depression-era farmers, while \"Waiting in the Rain\" describes Hay\'s own upbringing.

A lighter and livelier affair than 2011's handsomely burnished Gathering Mercury, Next Year People nevertheless trades up on that same sense of assured craft that Colin Hay has cultivated in his middle age.

[xrr rating=3.0/5]After three and half decades in the music business, singer-songwriter Colin Hay’s voice is no worse for the wear.