It's
amazing. In relatively quick succession Tim Rogers has delivered
three very different albums. Clearly some of the creativity is driven
by turbulence in Tim's off stage life. His songs make no secret
of it. He let off steam with his best friends You Am I on the blistering
'Convicts'. He traded tall tales and true at the bar with drinking
buddy Tex Perkins as T'N'T. And now comes this fourth 'solo' album,
different to anything else we've heard from him. Years ago with
You Am I's third album Hourly Daily Tim wrote a bunch of songs looking
through people's windows. Here he's opened up the windows and doors
to his own existence. It's reflective, brutally honest, and often
painful - but never self-indulgent. At some point the entertainer
took over, changing the names and places, shifting the focus through
clever wordplay and strong melodies, the artist at work. The big
difference is the stunning string and brass arrangements weaving
effortlessly around that familiar rasping, strained Rogers vocal
style. Only 'When Yer Sad' comes close to "rock". On 'Things Gonna
Get Ugly' Tim delivers a bluesy rant at the piano. The rest is supported
by those lush arrangements, a perfect foil for the emotion-filled
songs. Fifteen years into his career Tim Rogers still has the ability
to surprise us.
It's
amazing. In relatively quick succession Tim Rogers has delivered
three very different albums. Clearly some of the creativity is driven
by turbulence in Tim's off stage life. His songs make no secret
of it. He let off steam with his best friends You Am I on the blistering
'Convicts'. He traded tall tales and true at the bar with drinking
buddy Tex Perkins as T'N'T. And now comes this fourth 'solo' album,
different to anything else we've heard from him. Years ago with
You Am I's third album Hourly Daily Tim wrote a bunch of songs looking
through people's windows. Here he's opened up the windows and doors
to his own existence. It's reflective, brutally honest, and often
painful - but never self-indulgent. At some point the entertainer
took over, changing the names and places, shifting the focus through
clever wordplay and strong melodies, the artist at work. The big
difference is the stunning string and brass arrangements weaving
effortlessly around that familiar rasping, strained Rogers vocal
style. Only 'When Yer Sad' comes close to "rock". On 'Things Gonna
Get Ugly' Tim delivers a bluesy rant at the piano. The rest is supported
by those lush arrangements, a perfect foil for the emotion-filled
songs. Fifteen years into his career Tim Rogers still has the ability
to surprise us.