Dave Dobbyn Albums (7)
What The Critics Say
After Loyal, Hopetown is probably your next purchase in the Dave Dobbyn catalog. Trouble is, Dobbyn is better with words than tunes, so Hopetown lacks in the latter department, although its quiet eclecticism offers moments for the faithful and the new. Piano-led opener "Just Add Water" is reminiscent of Paul McCartney. The upbeat jazz "Alive on Arrival" nods toward Van Morrison, while "I Am I Am" tackles New Orleans blues. Former Dudes sidekick Ian Morris' physical production is so animated it's as if the band is playing in front of you. Dobbyn's brand of Kiwi rock pops up on "Name of Love" and one of Hopetown's killer cuts, "My Kinda People," with a rockin' intro and distorted vocal. One of the better pieces on The Islander, "Beside You," is emulated in "Kingdom Come." Whether a joke or not, "Love Like the Moon" traverses new domain with a '70s Stylistics sound, harp-like piano, and a swoon vocal. Song of the Show, however, goes to "Someone Else's Pain," an acoustic soul tune with New Zealand coloring and a belting good vocal between Dobbyn and Marina Davies. ~ Kelvin Hayes, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The follow-up to 1994's brooding and dark Twist album by one of New Zealand rock's most heralded songsmiths is the album he always threatened to make. Dave Dobbyn has a way with words and atmosphere that puts him in the class of great antipodean songwriters Neil Finn (who collaborates here with some exquisite guitar playing and mixed instrumentation), Graeme Downes, and Ed Kuepper. There are no mainstream hits -- no "Slice of Heaven" or "Language" -- here, but instead a fragility and personality that are the signature of some of the best singer/songwriter albums. Hence, Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska, Elvis Costello's Blood & Chocolate, and Bob Mould's Workbook are all good points of reference, and even echoes of Randy Newman and Neil Young crop up on a few occasions, through they are all hard to pin down exactly. The Islander is a sort of distillation of qualities that only an artist of exceptional craftsmanship can achieve without once sounding postmodern. That said, the album sounds instantly familiar and warm, beginning with the opening "Waiting," a lyrical study of desire that sets the tone for the whole album. The track exposes a hint of the glam influences of his '70s pub rock days in the Dudes and maps a lifetime of influences from the Beatles through to indie rock. "Be Set Free" swings with a Crazy Horse feel and "I Never Left You" -- the melancholic sister song to Twist's "Naked Flame" -- is simply exquisite and among the best he has ever penned. "Mobile Home" uses the quaint imagery of the heart as a kind of caravan -- one of the many delightful poetic twists on the album. The Islander is a milestone in a career of an extraordinary songwriting talent. While it may be apparent over the course of his career that Dobbyn's craft certainly took some dubious diversions into MOR territory, in his maturity Dobbyn has found his voice in the homespun, low-tech atmosphere where his songs carry a deeper emotional weight. Much like his collaborator Finn, he opted for a more casual recording situation away from the studio settings that have in the past stifled the direct, raw atmospheres where his songs shine. The album closes with gospel piano chords on "Hallelujah Song," an ironic Randy Newman-esque fanfare that creates a great mood to close an exceptional and stunning work. ~ Skip Jansen, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The career of this New Zealand singer/songwriter began in the '70s new wave explosion, where his group the Dudes had a series of hits in Australasia. A rocky path followed for Dobbyn in the '80s, and while his popularity of penning hits throughout the decade with his post-Dudes project D.D. Smash and occasional solo one-hit wonders surfaced, they failed to satisfy his creative urges, and the singer lived reclusively while his friends brother Neil Finn and Tim Finn saw great success post-Split Enz. Penning a soundtrack for an animated feature film in the mid-'80s, and being a scapegoat for causing a riot in his home city of Auckland, which broke-out during a free concert Dobbyn gave in a central square. A well respected songwriter, by the beginning of the '90s his music lived nowhere other than classic FM, until 1995 when a creative and experimental burst overcame him and old friend and producer Neil Finn. The result is this dark and complex collection of songs which explores a total inversion of commercial pop music values, in lyrics and production techniques alike. With many similarities to Elvis Costello's bleak Blood and Chocolate, Finn's production suggests some deep listening to that album as well as Nico's Marble Index and Robyn Hytchcock's Sometimes I Dream of Trains. Dave Dobbyn's songcraft lies in his incredible ability to nail oblique phrasing and texts onto streamlined melodies similar to John Cale, and even recalling Springsteen in that his voice is often a masculine belt. While his is one of those voices that can be hard to stomach, not that it is unpleasant but that it so raw it can be at times discomforting. "Naked Flame is the standout track to these ears, and an excellent stripped-back backing group is drenched in low-tech tape delay, and it almost evokes one of Townes Van Zandt's more disheveled Memphis moments. ~ Skip Jansen, All Music Guide
'Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tale'
Release Date 1/1/1986
Tracks 14
Label CBS
See Album Tracklist and Review
