I don’t profess to know a damn thing about the Fixx, but after hearing frontman Cy Curnin’s new disc, I have to admit they have gotten me curious.
Though I love most other 80s music, the Fixx was always one of those obscure, high-brow bands that never really did it for me. Their litany of hits is considerable in retrospect, however: “Red Skies,” “Are We Ourselves,” “Saved By Zero” and, of course, “One Thing Leads To Another.” Now do you remember?
The Returning Sun is the sound of a rejuvenated Cy Curnin. Clearing the slate and putting the past firmly behind him, he bravely turns in some of his loosest, even buoyant, tracks yet — with zero fanfare. This CD had been sent to me months ago and last night, not having anything better to do, I finally got around to giving it a spin. I fully expected to dismiss it outright and turn it off after the first song. But then something interesting happened, I left the CD on and found myself enjoying what I heard.
The lead-off “We Might Find It” has just enough to hook in the listener, but not an ounce more. Even better still are the glistening title track and the solid “Falling Apart Together,” which I think would make a great single.
Keyboards and live drums and strings comprise much of the almost ethereal-sounding music on this smoothly-flowing album. Might he have had some kind of spiritual awakening which led him to put this inspirational album together? Whatever it is, it is certainly proof that Curnin was born to do this for a living. And his voice has never sounded better. He’s actually a great singer, something we never even considered back in those murky Fixx days. For an independent release, it is an immaculately produced record that only sounds like it cost a fortune to make.
A gentle loping feel pushes songs like the topical “The Future’s Not What It Used To Be” and “Nothing Is Normal” forward, while “The World Will Always Turn” sounds like an instant crowd-pleaser if I’ve ever heard one. Curnin seems to have found the freedom to put out his own kind of music, one that is free of music industry influence and the needless advice of others. He is keeping things real with a positive attitude, churning out one professional-sounding track after the other.
This was quite an unexpected surprise, one that will be on my mind — and my stereo — for months to come. Do yourselves a favor and seek this one out. Whether you are an 80s fan, a Fixx fan or none of the above, you won’t be disappointed by the new and improved Cy Curnin.
