Imports Michael Hutchence

Amazon.co.uk Two years after his untimely death comes the first solo album from Australia's former premier rock star, and it won't disappoint any mourning fans. Although there aren't too many appreciable stylistic difference between this and INXS' latter-day amalgam of cutting edge electronica, rock and adrenalin-fuelled funk, there's certainly enough here to intrigue. There are INXS-style tracks ("A Straight Line"), state-of-the-art tracks (the haunting "All I'm Saying", produced by Bomb The Bass' Tim Simenon) and guitar-laden tracks ("Let Me Show You", backing vocals courtesy of The Clash's ex-singer Joe Strummer). The eerie closing track, "Slide Away", meanwhile, features a last verse vocal added by U2's Bono after Hutchence's death. Add to this a list of producers which reads like a Who's Who of 90's rock--the Gang Of Four's Andy Gill, assisted by Danny Saber (Black Grape, U2, Rolling Stones), Simenon and Tim Palmer (Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins)--and it makes one wonder how far Hutchence might have progressed given time. --Everett True Product description CD: Michael Hutchence,Michael Hutchence