On Andy Hunter's last album, Life, the Christian trance producer provided us with waves of aural delight, each track clocking in no shorter than 6:00 long. He took us through the driving rhythm of "Come On" and the pop sensibilities of "To Life, To Love," his Billboard charting album finisher. The album was a dancefloor pleaser, but as a casual listener I was forced to listen to long songs. It can be fun, but I love shorter songs too!
Colour brings us a little closer to an industrial sound. Hunter drops a lot of the trance and focuses more on electro-house, preferring to supply his own vocals instead of those of a featured vocalist. His production style accompanied by the way he processes his vocals lead to more of a gravelly, VNV Nation-style song. Don't get me wrong, this is definitely dance and not industrial, but fans of the latter genre might find something of appeal on Colour. Songs like "Sound Pollution" (purchase/download) and "System Error" fit this description nicely. "Miracle" sounds like Nine Inch Nails gone reggae. "Out of Control," an industro-pop-electro song, is very driving and thoroughly entertaining. He also uses house elements in his tracks, the extremely danceable "Technicolour" exhibiting more of a dancefloor vibe and a guest vocalist who uses his instrument effectively on a fast-paced and engaging chorus. Hunter° is also embraces his downtempo, trip-hop side with simple, gorgeous songs like "Smile," (purchase/download) "Together," "Fade," and "Sapphire." All sound truly beautiful in their original form, but could possibly become club stompers with the correct remixes. "You," the album's finisher, is the longest song at 7:04, with the average time of album songs being around 5 minutes. This makes the album a lot more accessible, in my opinion.
Speaking of remixes, this album is screaming for some big time attention. It is a great testament to Andy Hunter°'s talent, but all good dance songs need the different-styled remixes to get those artists out on the floor and being heard! So here is my humble plea to anyone out there with any sway in matters such as this: Get Andy Hunter° remixed!
Summary: This album caters to many styles, but less so if you're looking for an out and out house album. Definitely check out if you like stuff that is left of the mainstream. "Smile" is my favorite!
Released March 18, 2008 on Nettwerk Records.
