Say It Is So is a welcome return for the front man of New Zealand pop-wavers Split Enz and occasional member of his brother Neil’s band, Crowded House. Although Tim Finn has released a handful of solo albums (none since 1993’s Before & After), this one has the feel of more than just an easy pop exercise.
Recording in Nashville at the prompting of a friend, Finn took advantage of the musical opportunities it afforded. The musicians assembled for the album include Ken Coomer (Wilco) on drums, Bruce Bouton on pedal steel, Julie Miller on background vocals, and producer Jay Joyce (John Hiatt, Patty Griffin) on guitars and keyboards.
Despite the Music City locale and guests, Finn didn’t make a country album. The music is typically laid-back pop-rock that will sound familiar to fans of his earlier work. Hints of Grant McLennan or Lloyd Cole surface on several songs, as does the unlikely specter of U2’s Rattle & Hum era. Those comparisons make sense, in a way, because those artists came to America in hopes of rubbing some of the native sounds off on themselves, too.
In Finn’s case, it results in a consistently engaging song cycle, from the upbeat “Underwater Mountain” to the oughta-be-a-single “Death Of A Popular Song”. Just to make sure he doesn’t forget where he came from, Finn ends the disc with an adaptation of a traditional Aboriginal song, “Rest”.
