release date: Jan. 26, 1998
format: cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,12]
producer: Mark Hollis
label: Polydor Records - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 1. "The Colour of Spring" (4,5 / 5) - 2. "Watershed" - 4. "The Gift" - 5. "A Life (1895-1915)" - 6. "Westward Bound" - 7. "The Daily Planet" - 8. "A New Jerusalem"
Studio solo debut and only album by Talk Talk front-figure Mark Hollis released seven years after the disbandment of Talk Talk. A record deal for two albums with Polydor before the band's final album may likely be the practical grounds for the initial process in having this album released at all. Hollis never was an artist who sought out or enjoyed time in the limelight before or after releasing albums, and a fundamental reason to the disbandment of Talk Talk appears to have been his personal wish not to live life as a performing artist but to recede to family life - so here's at least one good reason for having record contracts that matter for the fans (!).
Stylistically, the album is quite different from any other album released with Talk Talk. The only common characteristics with the final two studio releases and the presence of a jazz-feel, which had its biggest impact on Laughing Stock but also found way to Spirit of Eden and first introduced on The Colour of Spring. You will also find the sense of progressiveness on this one but the overall tone and style is not that of a post rock-release as much as a minimalist and almost ambient jazz pop-sensation, which could be measured as one-third chamber pop, one-third art pop, and one third focussing on jazz; however, produced with minimal arrangements, and in a way, it could also be labelled as sheer minimalism if not that style also hinted at repetitious elements, often made with classical or electronic instrumentation, which is not the case here. If not touching on silent, this is just extremely delicate. The Hollis and Frise-Greene partnership, a remarkable songwriter / composer duo had come to an end with the final Talk Talk album, but several familiar musicians contribute on the album. Mark Feltham on harmonica, Martin Ditcham on drums and percussion, and Robbie McIntosh on guitar, and they have all played on several albums by Talk Talk before, but it's really remarkable how many additional musicians Hollis enlists on this near-quiet album 'cause what you really end up hearing on the majority of the tracks, is basically only the voice of Mark Hollis, some piano parts by Lawrence Pendrous, the double-bass by classical and jazz bassist Chris Laurence alongside Mark Ditcham's percussion sounds. On top of that, parts of other instruments are layered briefly to ensure a sensation of a warm, spacious room of beauty.
I purchased the album on its release without having heard one single tone from it 'cause I knew it had to be good. Not that it was what I expected, but it just didn't disappoint. Perhaps my only regret is its short total running time clocking in just below 47 mins.
The album was met by positive reviews but (naturally) it wasn't followed by live performances or anything such as a promotion tour. Although, Hollis produced and arranged two tracks on the album Smiling & Waving from 2001 by Norwegian Anja Garbarek (daughter of Jan Garbarek), he only returned to his private life and regrettably seems to have abandoned music from hereon for good.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, The Guardian, Uncut and NME 4 / 5 stars ]
1998 Favourite releases: 1. Grant Lee Buffalo Jubilee - 2. Mark Hollis Mark Hollis - 3. Fatboy Slim You've Come a Long Way, Baby
