Album Review: Bernard Fanning - Brutal Dawn

Bernard Fanning has such a fantastic voice and natural charisma that it can be easy to overlook the uneven output of his solo career (especially given the classics he has under his belt with his former outfit).

While 2005's Tea & Sympathy was a justifiable hit, follow-up albums Departures and Civil Dusk haven't felt quite memorable enough to compete with his best works.

Brutal Dawn feels like a step in the right direction. Ramshackle and eclectic in a way Fanning hasn't really been since Powderfinger's Internationalist with the rootsy folksiness of his best solo work to date, Fanning's latest album is potentially the best work he's delivered since his debut (or Powderfinger's Dream Days At The Hotel Existence, depending on your preferences). Songs like Isn't It A Pity and How Many Times feature choruses as evocative as they are memorable while, across the record, there's an unpredictable air to the album's instrumental arrangements that proves entrancing.

One does feel Fanning is still building towards a real classic (and this isn't it). In a way, the former frontman is rediscovering himself as an artist and songwriter. But, as it stands, Brutal Dawn is a lovely addition to his discography; one even lapsed followers would do well to seek out.