Colin Hay: Are You Lookin' At Me?
Glenn Swift
November 28, 2007
What’s it like to be famous and seemingly nobody knows your name?
Ask Colin Hay.
As the lead singer for Aussie supergroup, Men At Work, Hay’s British-accented (he was born in the UK), happy-go-lucky voice played non-stop on the air waves back in the 80s. So much so, that some of us probably still wake up from time to time with “Who Can It Be Now” playing in our heads.
So what’s he doing now?
Well, after five years of mellowing out California style, Hay has emerged from his basement studio with an extraordinary new CD, Are You Lookin’ At Me? The new album represents a tuneful, insightful meditation on life, love, sobriety, maturity, and perseverance.
Make no doubt about it: Hay is at the absolute peak of his craft.
As a writer and vocalist, he has never been more masterful: finding intriguing new angles on instantly relatable scenarios, skewering and savoring in equal measure. His less acclaimed, but no less formidable skills as an arranger, engineer and bandleader, insure that each song is supported by evocative musical backdrops ranging from electronic textures to plaintive acoustic balladry to classic guitar-driven pop. The album is unified by Hay’s immediately recognizable voice, relentless curiosity, and a decidedly uncluttered sound that has its roots in Hay’s consistently busy bus tour schedule.
Since my last album, Company of Strangers in 2002, I’ve been pretty much either on the road or in the studio... when I’ not on the road, I’m working on songs and trying to make them as good as possible. When I was working on these, I had my road band in mind, and in a way tried to limit the arrangements to match our live sound,” said Hay.
One distinct quality that stands out above all else on the new release is Hay’s unique perspective; he is an observer... and even more importantly... an outsider.
Being born in Scotland and growing up there for 14 years, I felt a particular way. Then my family moved to Australia, and instantly I was in a very different place. As for the last 15 years, I’ve lived mostly in the United States. So, once again, I’ve had to learn to adapt. But that’s never really been a problem for me, because I’ve always found that when you look closely, you find more similarities than differences.”
As for similarities, Hay made no attempt to hide that some of his new tunes are very Beatlesque.
It wasn’t a conscious thing, but those four blokes hit me like a ton of bricks back in ’63... and I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing if it weren’t for them.”
For more information about Colin Hay, his current tour schedule, or his new CD, Are You Lookin’ At Me, go to www.colinhay.com.
Ask Colin Hay.
As the lead singer for Aussie supergroup, Men At Work, Hay’s British-accented (he was born in the UK), happy-go-lucky voice played non-stop on the air waves back in the 80s. So much so, that some of us probably still wake up from time to time with “Who Can It Be Now” playing in our heads.
So what’s he doing now?
Well, after five years of mellowing out California style, Hay has emerged from his basement studio with an extraordinary new CD, Are You Lookin’ At Me? The new album represents a tuneful, insightful meditation on life, love, sobriety, maturity, and perseverance.
Make no doubt about it: Hay is at the absolute peak of his craft.
As a writer and vocalist, he has never been more masterful: finding intriguing new angles on instantly relatable scenarios, skewering and savoring in equal measure. His less acclaimed, but no less formidable skills as an arranger, engineer and bandleader, insure that each song is supported by evocative musical backdrops ranging from electronic textures to plaintive acoustic balladry to classic guitar-driven pop. The album is unified by Hay’s immediately recognizable voice, relentless curiosity, and a decidedly uncluttered sound that has its roots in Hay’s consistently busy bus tour schedule.
Since my last album, Company of Strangers in 2002, I’ve been pretty much either on the road or in the studio... when I’ not on the road, I’m working on songs and trying to make them as good as possible. When I was working on these, I had my road band in mind, and in a way tried to limit the arrangements to match our live sound,” said Hay.
One distinct quality that stands out above all else on the new release is Hay’s unique perspective; he is an observer... and even more importantly... an outsider.
Being born in Scotland and growing up there for 14 years, I felt a particular way. Then my family moved to Australia, and instantly I was in a very different place. As for the last 15 years, I’ve lived mostly in the United States. So, once again, I’ve had to learn to adapt. But that’s never really been a problem for me, because I’ve always found that when you look closely, you find more similarities than differences.”
As for similarities, Hay made no attempt to hide that some of his new tunes are very Beatlesque.
It wasn’t a conscious thing, but those four blokes hit me like a ton of bricks back in ’63... and I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing if it weren’t for them.”
For more information about Colin Hay, his current tour schedule, or his new CD, Are You Lookin’ At Me, go to www.colinhay.com.
Print
Email
