Customer Reviews

Fumbling With the Covers

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Boy is this one ever out of left field - no 80's revival, drum machines or wall of synths here. Instead you get a quiet album of covers - mostly well known songs too. On its face this should have been panned - after all for your first offering in 20+ years you produce an album of cover versions?

Much to my surpise though it's in the player quite a lot. There's a quiet grace to this album that I didn't expect. Yes it's nice background music during dinner and when i'm wanting to de-stress after work. On it's own it's enjoyable to actually listen closely to it as well.

Pete - thank you. I hope this album gets you back to songrwiting and performing. I look for more to come.

It has been 23 long years since the last Naked Eyes studio release, "Fuel for the Fire". Naked Eyes now is mainly Pete Byrne (keyboardist Rob Fisher died in 1999). It's him on acoustic guitar, doing cover versions, including a new one of the remake that put him on the map, "Always Something There to Remind Me". Elton John, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, and Jimi Hendrix are amongst the legends interpreted here. Two NE classics, "Promises, Promises" and "When the Lights Go Out" are also redone.
This album is definitely not the synth-pop of the '80s, which wouldn't really work now anyway. It's back to basics, yet with a newer Linn-type drum machine and sound effects on "Cry, Baby, Cry" and others.
Maybe NE can do MTV Unplugged and/or VH1 Classic.
Maybe the next release can be a more conventional recording, as opposed to this low-key comeback.

Pete's voice sounds as wonderful as ever.
And this recording documents that naked eyes is as present, as is past...

and if you should get a chance to see them live, pete will be as nice as can be, and meet with fans after the show.
Check for dates below, as they are currently touring....

[...]

His voice is one of the most underrated I've ever heard. In a world of bad hair dye jobs and screechy babbling warblers it's a relief to hear a soft voice with minimal background and special effects - just a warm voice and the simple purity of a rosewood guitar.
His covers of When the Lights Go Down and Rocket Man are superb.

Very stupid cover of their already catchy song. There seemed to be a trend within these 80s bands to tarnish their hit songs by creating new versions & disgusting their listeners. Was looking to download MP3 of the orig. version but instead found this garbage available. Oh well, they lost a sale. I hope they lose more fans along the way.