Colin Hay is familiar to millions as the frontman, songwriter, and vocalist of pop sensation Men at Work (“Down Under,” “Overkill,” “Who Can it Be Now?”). Hay is justifiably proud of his place in pop history, but since moving to Los Angeles in 1989, he’s made 11 critically-acclaimed solo albums, including the highly successful Man at Work, and has recently announced the release of his new album Next Year People on Compass Records.
Next Year People is the work of an artist who is a true master of his craft. The album is full of quizzical, curious, and cynical yet open-hearted songs with catchy melodic hooks that underscore deeply insightful lyrics.
The album was produced by Hay and mixed by Chad Fischer (Chasing Mavericks, Ice Age 3, Lisa Loeb) and includes contributions from two young Cuban musicians, San Miguel Perez and Yosmel Montejo, both of whom recently emigrated from Havana, as well Larry Goldings on piano, Jeff Babko (Jimmy Kimmel) on B3, and Colin's wife, vocalist Cecilia Noel.
Over the past 15 years Hay has reinvented himself as a solo artist, regularly selling out theaters and listening rooms across the US and around the world and introducing himself to a new generation of fans in the process. “I started off playing acoustic; it’s my natural game, if you will,” he concludes. “It’s the point I started from and may well be the point I end with. It’s always what I return to.”
The frequent use of Hay’s music in TV and film—including hit shows such as Scrubs (on which he has made several cameo appearances) Army Wives and Modern Family, the hit soundtrack to the film Garden State and the recently released Words and Pictures—has proven the timeless appeal of his songs.
Heather Maloney’s journey to finding herself as a singer-songwriter took some unexpected routes. She studied classical operatic, improvisational jazz vocals, vows of silence, and music theory for several years in New Jersey, in addition to a brief stint studying classical Indian vocals with a tutor.
Maloney feels her record "Making Me Break" is the closest she’s ever been to the sound that’s truly herself. “As an artist I’m constantly changing. But I think we cracked the code on blending the two worlds here,” says Maloney. For now, her distinctive voice has soared a long way from the silent confines of hushed meditation, and into a natural equilibrium of progressive Indie-Folk.
Price
- $25-$416
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