Colin Hay
NewMusicForOldFolks says …
He comes from a land down under (not really, he's Scottish via Australia). Nevertheless, you probably recognize Colin Hay's voice and probably his face, from Men At Work and MTV in the 1980s. He reappeared on several episodes of "Scrubs" on TV including a wandering, acoustic version of the Men At Work hit "Overkill." Hay has continued to make music since Men At Work. It's gotten mellower than the New Wave of the MTV era. Most times it's just Hay and his acoustic guitar. But he's just as thoughtful and clever as ever. Give his latest, Next Year People, a listen.
Artist's Info
Website: colinhay.com
See him live: Tour dates
Record company: Compass Records
Genre: Roots, Acoustic
If you like this, look into: Bruce Cockburn, Martin Sexton, Mark Knopfler
Bio (From the artist's website)
Colin Hay, familiar to millions as front-man, songwriter, and vocalist of pop sensation Men at Work (“Down Under,” “Overkill,” “Who Can it Be Now?”), has released a new solo album is entitled Next Year People on Compass Records. Next Year People is the work of an artist who is a true master of his craft. The album is full of quizzical, curious, and cynical yet open-hearted songs with catchy melodic hooks that underscore deeply insightful lyrics. Some of the songs are based on Colin’s personal experiences such as “Waiting in the Rain,” written about his parents and the almost mystical experience he had growing up in a music shop in Scotland, surrounded by instruments and a constant stream of 50′s and 60′s radio hits. (more)
Spotify sampler
Recordings
Most Recent
NEXT YEAR PEOPLE (2015): A lighter and livelier affair than 2011's handsomely burnished Gathering Mercury, Next Year People nevertheless trades up on that same sense of assured craft that Colin Hay has cultivated in his middle age. Certainly, the back half of this 2015 album gets a little sun-bleached and mellow — an appealing fit for the genial Hay — but it's the songs that exist on the margin that give this record its character. "Trying to Get to You" opens the proceedings at a nicely infectious clip, "To There from Here" has a nice bit of lilting surf rock in its accents, "Lived in Vein" is as breezy as a stolen Wednesday afternoon at the beach, and, throughout it all, Hay's palpable ever-present smile gives this a warm, welcoming feel; it's nothing more than a friendly letter from an old pal, and that's plenty charming. — AllMusic.com
Others
Looking for Jack (1987)
Wayfaring Sons (1990)
Peaks & Valleys (1992)
Topanga (1994)
Transcendental Highway (1998)
Going Somewhere (2000)
Company of Strangers (2002)
Man @ Work (2003)
Are You Lookin' at Me? (2007)
American Sunshine (2009)
Gathering Mercury (2011)
