Tim Finn recorded this solo disc in the aftermath of Split Enz breakup, the success of brother Neil in Crowded House, and the death of a close friend. It made many of these songs intimate and deeply personal, but also left most of them without the chemistry Neil injected into their best work together. At his best, Tim's songs here sound like good Enz ("How'm I Gonna Sleep," "Been There Done That").
On the other hand, "Show A Little Mercy" ventures too close to Phil Collins' bland "socially concerned" songs and "Parihaka" doesn't stick. "Suicide On Downing Street," while obviously an emotionally resonant song for Tim, doesn't connect the same way, say, Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven" or U2's "Walk On" did. I'll still dismiss any quibbles about this CD for the likes of "Not Even Close," "Crescendo" and the joy of "Birds Swim, Fish Fly." These are the three main songs that seem to point Tim in a direction other than his past glories with Split Enz, but it still isn't enough for me to describe this solo album as anything greater than strongly melodic, competent pop.
