The Returning Sun is the 2007 CD by Cy Curnin, the lead singer of British pop rock band The Fixx. He is joined here with fellow Fixx member Jamie West-Oram. This, his second solo album, was released on Curnin's own label, Squirrels Eat Nuts.
I confess that most of the 80s candy-coated, MTV-flavored bands passed me by. Being a died-in-the-wool 70s prog head, I clung to the belief that these newer groups kept ELP and Pink Floyd from a second round of popularity. The Fixx were part of this MTV mix, but they always seemed to be a tad more aggressive than ABC or a-ha. I'd stop, listen and look when one of their videos played, and was quite taken with lead singer Cy Curnin, who seemed more enigmatic than most other front men from that period. Now it seems Mr. Curnin is back with an album of his own called
The Returning Sun.

First of all, the guy's in good voice. In fact, he sounds pretty much the same as he did in the 80s. He's not necessarily breaking any ground here musically. The Returning Sun could be a late 80s record with its arpeggiating keys, tight guitar slashes and upfront snares. Still, the 10 songs on this disc are well-constructed, rather catchy in fact with dark lyrical themes.

Curnin writes an infectious chorus, as he does on "Remember Me When I'm Gone," "Falling Apart Together" and "Nothing Is Normal." His voice cuts through the refrain of "Nothing is normal/Everything is chemical." It's startling stuff and reiterates how distinctive Curnin's voice is. With help from a nicely placed-and played acoustic guitar, solid backbeat, and, again, that infectious chorus (complete with a really good harmony vocal), "The World Will Always Turn" is the best of the lot here.

"Damned If You Do," the last song of the bunch, could be from an early Fixx album. It has that kind of sound, with a singable, moving chorus, those 80s chick-a-chick drum machines, slightly affected lead vocal, and high-end guitar strumming. If this were1988, Mr. Curnin would probably have a video for this song played in heavy rotation on MTV.

What can I really say about The Returning Sun? This is a solid release from a man with a singularly distinctive vocal style, some meaningful, if sometimes a bit trite, things to say, backed up by instrumentation you might find all-too-familiar but well arranged all the same. It's an album that effectively mixes the past with an eye on the future.