''The Whiff of Bedlam'' is the fourth solo

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by Australian singer/songwriter

James Reyne James Michael Nugent Reyne OAM (born 19 May 1957) is an Australian rock musician and singer-songwriter both in solo work and, until 1986, with the band Australian Crawl. Biography Early years Reyne was born in Lagos, Nigeria. His father, Ro ...

released in October 1994 and peaked at number 20 in Australia. The album was preceded by lead single "

Red Light Avenue "Red Light Avenue" is the first single from Australian rock musician James Reyne on his 1994 album ''The Whiff of Bedlam ''The Whiff of Bedlam'' is the fourth solo studio album by Australian singer/songwriter James Reyne released in October 19 ...

" in September 1994. It was his first album released under label

rooArt rooArt was an Australian independent record label, founded in 1988 by INXS's then-manager, Chris Murphy. The label's roster included several well-known Australian bands and artists such as Crow, Ratcat, Screaming Jets, You Am I, Wendy Matthews ...

Review

Tomas Mureika of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

said "An astonishingly mature album by any artist's rights, ''The Whiff of Bedlam'' delves into territory many would never even dare to approach, all the while remaining cloaked in some of the most gorgeous melodies Reyne has ever crafted. The opening "Who The Hell Do You Think You Are?" sets the agenda - from a wispy electric piano intro, Reyne launches into an enigmatically vicious attack against someone, yet does so simply through the dynamics of his voice, avoiding the high-pitched intensity that earmarked his earlier works. From then on, there are twelve achingly soulful confessionals through which Reyne seems constantly on the verge of tears. The devastating "It's Only Natural" moves from an organ intro through hook after hook, as Reyne seems to resign himself to his new discoveries as he has aged, only to immediately counter the downfall with the more upbeat melancholy of "Winds Of Change". With the harrowing possibilities unleashed by ''The Whiff of Bedlam'', it is certain to say that Reyne has found his own day in the sun... and it keeps getting gloriously darker."

Track listing

# "Who the Hell Do You Think You Are?" (James Reyne) # "

" (Wayne Burt) # "Lion in the Winter" (Reyne, Neil Larsen) # "Uptown Ruler" (Reyne, Larsen) # "Goin' Fishin'" (Reyne) # "It's Only Natural" (Reyne, Simon Hussey) # "Winds of Change" (Reyne, Brett Goldsmith) # "

Only a Fool Would Say That ''Can't Buy a Thrill'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Steely Dan, released in November 1972 by ABC Records. The album was written by band members Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, recorded in August 1972 at the Village Recorder in ...

" (

Walter Becker Walter Carl Becker (February 20, 1950 – September 3, 2017) was an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He was the co-founder, guitarist, bassist, and co-songwriter of the jazz rock band Steely Dan.Russonello, Giovanni,Listen t ...

Donald Fagen Donald Jay Fagen (born January 10, 1948) is an American musician best known as the co-founder, lead singer, co-songwriter, and keyboardist of the band Steely Dan, formed in the early 1970s with musical partner Walter Becker. In addition to his w ...

) # "Walking in the Dreamtime" (Reyne, Hussey) # "Poor Man in the Penthouse" (Reyne, Larsen) # "No Secrets" (Reyne) # "Day in the Sun" (Reyne)

Personnel

* James Reyne – vocals, acoustic guitar * Bunny Hull – backing vocals * Bob Glaub – bass * Freddie Washington – bass * John Patitucci – bass * Vinnie Colaiuta – drums * Daren Klein – engineering, mixing * Mike Landau – guitar * Lennie Castro – percussion * Neil Larsen – piano, electric piano, organ * Bill Payne – piano, organ * Joel Peskin – saxophone * Oscar Brashear – trumpet

Charts

References

1994 albums James Reyne albums {{1990s-rock-album-stub