REVIEW: Supertramp, Some Things Never Change (Oxygen/SilverCab)

- Reto Koradi

Supertramp? The Supertramp that we were crazy about when going to school, many years ago? Yes, it's them. And the album title is program: Some Things Never Change. Well, one thing did change: Roger Hodgson lived up to the '82 album title, Famous Last Words, and continued solo, with decreasing success. Part of his role is now taken over by Mark Hart, formerly of Crowded House.

Old fans will feel immediately familiar with this album. Most songs are carried by bouncing keyboard lines, fresh sounding horns set the accents, and Rick Davies' trademark vocals are easy to pick out among thousands. The songs range from tasteful ballads like "Live To Love You" and "And The Light" to the bluesy "Help Me Down That Road", and of course there are the shamelessly good pop songs like "You Win, I Lose" and "C'est What?" that one expects from Supertramp.

From a technical point of view, thanks to modern recording equipment, Supertramp sound better than ever. Everything is carefully crafted, perfectly played, and right at its place. With 70 minutes, the album can get somewhat lengthy at places and the listener's attention tends to slip away during some of the more atmospheric parts. But Some Things Never Change is a nearly perfect pop album. The only problem for Supertramp is that hardly anybody wants to hear perfect pop music nowadays, what got the masses excited 20 years ago now revokes mostly feelings of nostalgia. But an occasional bit of nostalgia can never hurt, and many hyped bands of today could learn from some of the qualities present on this album.