Posted on: October 24, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Anyu – Reasons / 2007 Axent / 10 Tracks / http://www.anyu.net /

Anyu has been around the music scene for quite a few years. Individuals that were on the West Coast and listening to alternative music may remember his earlier act The First Thought. The First Thought opened up for acts as wide and varied as UB-40 and Thomas Dolby. After a few years away from the independent music scene, Anyu comes back with “Reasons”. “Call On Me’ is a very modern type of pop music. It is not easy to compare Anyu to other acts; there are hints of Sting, Stephen Curtis Chapman, and even Lenny Kravitz present on the 10 cuts on “Reasons”.

The backing instrumentation has a world influence to it that differentiates the songs on “Reasons” from practically any other act. The trippy sound of “Chief Leschi” gradually opens up to a vocal flow that will bring listeners back to the earliest works of XTC and Peter Gabriel. Despite having different overall sounds and influences present during each track, Anyu is able to link the tracks of “Reasons” together with intricate instrumental arrangements. These arrangements are more impressive given the fact that they sound simple, but reveal more of themselves to the listener with each subsequent listen to “Reasons”. “No More Than A Day” is a high point on “Reasons”, as the chorus will insert itself deep into listeners’ heads and refuse to let go until months after hearing the track. The catchiness of “No More Than A Day” provides a perfect counterpoint to the more ethnic sound of “New World”.

Anyu’s output during “Reasons” shows a maturity that only an individual with such a pedigree would be capable of. Individuals can find something that they can appreciate in Anyu’s music, whether it be the middle Eastern sound of “Room To Grow” or the more straightforward sound created during “No More Than A Day”.
Reason” is a collection of hits that differentiate themselves from all of the other pop music on the charts. It is this approach that makes me confident that Anyu will be able to score a few hits off of “Reasons”. If that does not happen, however, I feel that subsequent Anyu albums will have a few tracks that will rocket up the charts. Give the disc a go if you like your pop music to actually challenge, instead of just merely retread the same styles of music that have been present for decades.

Top Tracks: New World, Sasha

Rating: 6.2/10

 

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