It's not all bad news. There are some moments that deliver what more CW fans are looking for with this record. "The Storm" rocks, and "Handsome" and "Towering And Flowering" are standout tracks that rekindle a dormant spark of attitude and urgency missing from much of the other new material. "The Mutineer" is a sweet, but short, close to the record.
As a bonus for the reissue, the album contains an EP disc entitled Nude, consisting of acoustic versions of some of Catherine Wheel's more popular tracks. "Black Metallic," "Crank," "Ma Solituda," "Show Me Mary," and "The Nude" receive mostly straightforward acoustic renditions with acoustic guitar, electric guitar touches, bass and occasional keyboard/string pads (which are more odd than helpful). "Black Metallic" and "The Nude" fare the best of this bunch, although all are expertly delivered. "I Want To Touch You" ends the set with a nice and moody alternate arrangement that really works.
Overall, Fresh Wine For The Horses is a disappointing start for a very talented musician's solo outing. Throughout the record, Rob's voice is in top form, and even on some of the weaker tracks he is still lyrically acute. But many of the songs either just lie there or introduce a tamer side of Rob that I'm not entirely sure we needed. There are enough instances of strong writing and performance to give hope for things to come, but not enough to make this a solid album.
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