Neil Finn: Try Whistling This

Since there was little doubt that singer/songwriter Neil Finn was the heart and engine of Crowded House, it came as a surprise when Finn suddenly dissolved the group after years of international success. After all, what could Finn do as a solo artist that he couldn't do in Crowded House—or, for that matter, his previous band Split Enz You'd be surprised, as evinced by Try Whistling This. Try Whistling This is the first solo album from the celebrated songwriter, and with it, Finn makes a laudable, if not radical, attempt to differentiate these new songs from back-catalog classics like "Don'tDream It's Over" and "I Got You." Produced by Tchad Blake with the help of Björk collaborator Marius De Vries, Radiohead mixer Nigel Goodrich, and Midnight Oil guitarist Jim Mogine, this may be Finn's least formulaic outing to date. Try Whistling This integrates subtle synthesizer elements and computer programming that allows songs like "Souvenir," "Sinner," and "King Tide" to deviate just enough from Finn's sometimes-restrictive love of the Beatles. The title track, on the other hand, is a spare, organic dirge that blooms into an impressive and majestic ballad. Unlike most of Finn's past works, Try Whistling This takes a while to dig in. His exploration of so many new moods and sonic novelties, as well as his insistence upon unconventional arrangements and unpredictable song structures, makes the immediate pop punch of his past high-water marks, however inspired, seem almost simple and basic in comparison. Try Whistling This is a promising new start for one of the pop world's most reliable songwriters. It should satisfy Crowded House's rabid fan base and initiate new admirers.