"Although I'm not technically an American citizen, I've been living here for twenty years," reflects
Colin Hay from his home in California. "I like it here. You look up at the sky, and there's no evidence of anything. It's amazing to think that,
under
that sky, there is so much horror going on here...but it's so beautiful at the same time." Hay's new album American Sunshine, available from
Compass Records on August 18, is marked by several sideways glances at the American dream - that perilous balance between potential and reality -
along with knowing ruminations on the transformative effects of love and the passing of time, set to some of the purest pop, hardest rock, and most
emotionally bare acoustic balladry Hay has yet laid down. Curiously, the America of American Sunshine is profoundly shaped by two very
different dream factories on nearly opposite ends of the country: California and Nashville.
Colin Hay is in the midst of a remarkable renaissance. While his voice and visage are still familiar
to millions from his tenure as frontman, principal songwriter, and lead vocalist of pop sensations Men at Work ("Down Under," "Overkill," "Who Can It
Be Now?"), the past ten years have found him quietly re-introducing himself to new generations of fans. The frequent use of his music on soundtracks
-
including the hit television show Scrubs (on which he has also had several cameos) and the sleeper-hit soundtrack to the film Garden
State - has proven the timeless appeal of his songs' personae: quizzical, curious, cynical yet open-hearted. Combine that with tireless touring
and an ongoing successful partnership with Nashville-based indie Compass Records, and Hay is poised to enter a new phase in his already storied
career.
Most artists who have experienced the levels of success and adulation Hay has would be content to
sit back and earn a living walking to the mailbox and back. Yet Hay is restless, eager to move forward and continually hone his craft while
continuing
to challenge himself. While the resultant performances have an easy-going clarity and honesty, the process behind much of American Sunshine
was
actually designed to take Hay out of his element and try working methods that were at once classic and unfamiliar. "Six of the songs," he says, "are
from a two-day session in Nashville."
Having never recorded in Nashville with local studio musicians before, Hay intended on cutting three songs and had them prepared in advance. "We had
all three done before lunchtime, the first day," he says, laughing. "I had to scramble back to my hotel room and bring in more material." A constant
and consistent songwriter, Hay dug through his notes and returned with more songs - all of which were cut live, on the floor, and only subtlety
fine-tuned after the fact. "They were such good musicians," he said of the crack Nashville band assembled for the session, "that we did nine tracks
in
two days. It was like the old days: you've got the song, you show it to everyone, and then the drummer counts it off and they play like they've been
playing it for ten years. I played guitar and sang live with the band. I did a few overdubs, but I didn't labor over it. I tried to keep it fresh.
It's an old way of working," he says, "but it seems new again. Overall, there's very little machinery on this record. It's real instruments and real
musicians."
Much of the stripped-down energy and unflinching clarity of American Sunshine can also be
attributed to Hay's endless tour itinerary, which consists of both solo and full-band shows. Just prior to the release of American Sunshine,
he traveled for a little over a month, playing 28 solo acoustic shows, 26 of them sold-out. "It was, honestly, the best tour I've ever done," he says
- no small claim from a man who has performed in every possible situation, from packed arenas and enormous outdoor festivals with a full band to
demanding, intimate shows in small rooms with just his guitar. Hay's solo shows intersperse classic and new songs with hilarious, poignant, and
downright surreal stories drawn from his often unbelievable experiences over the past three decades. "I've been doing these solo tours for a number
of
years," he explains, "going back to the same places and building audiences by doing the best shows I can. Judging from this last round, it seems to
be
building to a critical mass."
"Sometimes you do all these things - 3 tours, TV, all that - and no one thing pushes you over the top," he concludes. "Success becomes a point where
everything you work on converges. I equate it to a boxer in a match. It's very difficult to knock someone out with one punch - it's usually a series
of combinations over fifteen rounds that wins the fight."
