Crowded House: Time on Earth

[rating=3.50]

A live album of Crowded House’s final concert titled Farewell to the World was recently released.  It showcased the refined and intricate songwriting skills of the band’s leader Neil Finn, who has inspired everyone from Jimmy Buffet, Aimee Mann, and Eddie Vedder, and the camaraderie of a good -natured quartet of skilled musicians, especially that of drummer Paul Hester, whose own songwriting skills and sense of humor were welcome at such a momentous occasion.
 
Finn hasn’t been a slouch in the decade since that concert, releasing two critically acclaimed solo albums and a collaboration with his brother Tim.  So perhaps it was the recent death of Hester that prompted Finn to make his next project the platform for the reunion of New Zealand’s most popular music group.  But the lack of the band’s original rhythm man is sorely missed throughout, whether it is through Finn’s somber vocals on many of the album’s 14 tracks or the mastery Hester brought to his craft (proving once again that drummers are musicians after all).  If anything, this album proves that Crowded House was a collaborative effort, not just a continuation of the Finn Brothers’ previous group Split Enz.  This is not to say that Time on Earth is a disappointing album or a disgraceful effort to cash some reunion checks (and honestly, in America, does anyone even know or care Crowded House is back together).  In fact, this album ranks high along with the band’s late 80’s and early 90’s efforts, bolstered by the producing efforts of Steve Lillywhite and the guitar of Johnny Marr on several tracks. This comeback effort just feels unaccomplished.

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