Review - Are we having fun yet?

Colin Vearncombe, better known under his alias Black, seems to miss out on the big breakthrough again and again because record companies give up. First WEA resigned him in 1985 and after A&M has raked in the big money with amongst other things the beautiful millionselling single 'Wonderful life', artistic differences of opinion start, so that his album 'Black' (1991) doesn't get any form of proper promotion.
Reason enough for Black to start his own company, suitably entitled Chaos Reins. Meanwhile, the musician doesn't seem to be brought down by artistic frustrations. With every new album his power as a composer and lyric-writer grows. Hence, 'Are we having fun yet?' is his strongest album to date.
Always blessed with a passionate voice, he places ten beautiful songs in a row. Black proves strong in sketching atmospherical musical images in which sometimes Southern European influences can be discovered. He's almost always melancholy, but especially in the beautiful, by Martin McCarrick arranged 'Ave Lolita'. The choice of (guitarist) Mike Hedges as producer seems to be stemming from a desire to create a clear sound. Besides, a lot of the songs are carried by guitars.