Andrew Farriss has incredible pedigree as a songwriter in more familiar guises, so it was not totally unexpected that his eventual foray into the realm of a solo recording artist would include material of an exceptional high quality. The good news is that the five tracks comprising this debut EP are the mere aperitif for a full length release slated for a new year that may be a less turbulent period. LOVE MAKES THE WORLD is a seriously impressive stab at making a record partially shrouded in country and Americana sentiment, which shouldn't be too much of a surprise considering Farriss' association with artists of that persuasion in his homeland.
It has been a long journey from forming a school band in his native Australia in the mid seventies through the world conquering evolution into INXS to this latest positioning provocatively to the left of the Nashville elite. There is a distinguished thread through the mere 22 minutes that this record teases with your senses, blending a little bit of twang with a production that upholds a seasoned operator of their standing. Farriss adopted the role of composer when in full tandem with Hutchence's lyrical outpouring, but here the writing stands out from the pack in themes bouncing round life in its many stages.
While the first four tracks stride right through the landscape of what you want from an album of this persuasion peaking in the title number soaked in the holy water of Americana, Farriss adopts a far more experimental stance with the six minute closer 'First Man on Earth'. The latter suggests that the eventual fruition of this project may not be something that you can easily fit into a box. One guarantee is that the appetite has been whetted and Andrew Farriss is sold on making waves in fields that dismiss reputation and judge purely on the fare laid before them.
One final confession is that KICK was dug out after listening to this. Just a solitary copy of the twenty million sold.