Is there any reason to mess with a proven formula? Another artist who needs no introduction. Whispering Jack is the second highest selling album in Australian history (after Bat Out of Hell) so he knows what works and doesn’t veer too far off the beaten path. Mum friendly contemporary pop. John Farnham feels like music that was designed to feature in Mother’s Day promotions. But not any of the mothers that I know… they’re all super cool and are into Punk and the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Regurgitator. Bands like that. He feels like music for my mum. He certainly feels like a “safe choice”.
What changed on this album is that it was the first album in his career where he wrote most of the songs on it. (on previous albums he didn’t pick up a pen). Are the songs more personal for that? I’d say, yes, they are. Are they better? That’s hard to say. There’s definitely a perception that a proper musician is one who writes their own songs.
But writing and singing are two separate and important skills. Frank Sinatra isn’t known for being a song writer for instance. But where does that leave a good instrumentalist? (in this case voice). John Farnham certainly has a good voice. He picks material that suits his voice. And that has proven to be a winning formula.
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