Album Review: Bernard Fanning - Departures

This is exciting stuff – the long awaited follow up to Tea And Sympathy is finally here with all its bells and whistles. Departures is nothing like its predecessor, but does capture the classic Fanning traits including his love of a simple rock riff and some incredibly catchy choruses. If anything, Departures shares more comparisons to Powderfinger than his previous solo outing.

The centrepiece to the album is the title track Departures (Blue Toowong Skies) where Fanning expresses the grief for the loss of those in his family circle. Together with the organic Grow Around You, these tracks are central to the heart of the recording and the artist himself. There is also a harder edge to his voice and this suits the nastier songs like Drake. This darker side of Departures reflects the more creative and tricky side of the recording and is a definite move to the left for Fanning. Zero Sum Game fits this description and is Bowie-esque with a glam rock fingerprint. This is where he escapes the limitations of Powderfinger.

Fanning has spent his time wisely and relearned his rock pantheon moves. Loops and a more rhythmic approach has helped him make this album a more exciting adventure. Limbo Stick and Tell Me How It Ends are reminiscent of Neil Finn's first solo record, which also was driven by great new directions in the studio. Fanning is no stranger to success and failure and this album sees him back on track with an album he obviously has enjoyed recording. Whether the songwriter finally makes a mark overseas is another question.