Review - The Accused

The man of Wonderful life is back with solid record.

After four albums as Black and a long period of silence, Colin Vearncombe returns on the record shelves under his own name. Does it change his sound? Not, and that must be reassuring for those who hold the man's hits from 1987, "Wonderful life" and "Sweetest smile" close to their hearts. Just like Vearncombe's last work under the name Black, "Are we having fun yet?" from 1993, "The Accused" is released on his own label, Nero Schwarz, and just like its predecessor this new album threatens to escape from our attention due to mediocre distribution. Which is not right, because despite a creative draught for five years Vearncombe still writes poetic songs with a romantic stance and his voice will still make many women's hearts beat faster. On "The Accused" there is not much earthshattering to discover, but it is good work of a professional. Recommended for anyone who can't wait for the new album of James Taylor any longer.