There’s something compelling about Missy Higgins that goes beyond her specific talent, or the music she produces. She projects an honesty and innocence that’s almost startling. It draws the listener in – makes you want to connect, to protect, to nod your head in agreement.
Her phenomenal success belies the simple pop she produced on The Sound of White. And even when you’ve heard it one hundred times before, you can’t help cocking your ear whenever “Scar” comes on the radio, as it invariably does. On a Clear Night is a little different. Missy, who admitted to doing more rocky guitar oriented songs because she didn’t have instant access to her piano on the road, seems to take more chances on this CD. Her confidence up from the multi-ARIA wins, Higgins works hard on her voice – taking it higher, lower, and wider than she did on On a Clear Night.
The CD still comes across as fairly simple and direct – despite the superb engineering/production by Mitchell Froom that gives it a tight, clean, accessible sound. The music is layered subtly, but you still get the sense, even with celebrity extras like Matt Chamberlin on drums and Neil Finn on guitar and vocals, that this is 100% Higgins – a one on one session between listener and singer/songwriter.
A lot of the songs are about heartbreak. A few are about self-actualisation. But the CD is hard to categorise. There’s plenty of country influence and a hefty does of lighthearted, catchy pop, but there’s also smoky bluesy music like the seductive “Secret”, the dirt music bluegrass twang of “Going North”, or the rich piano chanteuse ballad “Where I Stood”. Finn's voice provides a distinctive vocal layer on "Going North" (a song that could easily fit on a Paul Kelly CD), but he never dominates. On "Peachy", Finn's tight electric guitar work is a standout, adding grunt and style, but once again, he allows Higgins to stay in the foreground.
Article comments
1 - Anna Creech
I hope they release this edition in the US, as well. It's tremendously annoying that there is such a delay between the Australian and US releases.
2 - Magdalena Ball
A quick piece of news I just received from Virgin/Eleven: On a Clear Night has been rated as the highest selling Australian album of 2007. "Missy’s #1 single “Steer” also made the year-end top 50. "Missy spent much of last year touring Australia delivering her unforgettable live performances to packed crowds around the country and putting to rest any doubts that people may have had about her ability to sustain the success she established with her debut release, 2004’s “The Sound of White”." And in answer to your question Anna: "2008 sees Missy head to America in the coming weeks for her own headline tour and to play the coveted Sundance Film Festival. “On A Clear Night” will be released in North America in February 26th." All the best. Maggie