Something's Goin' On

The album opens with Thousand Miles To, and immediately you know something new is happening here. This is pure country rock at its best.

Next is the delicious Somethin' Is Goin' On. Yes, it's a pop song, but a grown up pop song. Bright and upbeat, with a certain innocence in its arrangement that should charm even the most cynical critic.

I Will Not Be A Mistake is next. Simply beautiful. This is haunting stuff.

Simplicity. This one is to die for. You will never get vocals like this from the kids this country laughingly calls 'stars'. The track opens with a quirky intro, and then becomes this glorious, almost jazz influenced pop number. Stunning.

Sometimes Love, and its back to country rock - with the emphasis on rock! This track could have been written 45 years ago, but it isn't out-dated. Cliff shows that he is still this country's finest rock/pop performer. Cliff easy listening? Forget it! Not with this little gem.

I Cannot Give You My Love. Even some fans somewhat unhelpfully call it 'the Bee Gee one'. Well sure, Barry Gibb produced it, and wrote it, but it's Cliff who has breathed life into it. A warm, heartfelt ballad, with a catchy chorus.

Next we have an out and out ballad. The Day That I Stop Loving You. Simply divine. Nothing more need be said!

Cliff has always been able to tell stories with his songs. Devil Woman, Carrie, and many more have specific stories in their lyrics. This time around our storyteller song is the fabulous What Car. A fun, upbeat rock number, with a fantastic story - and another brilliant catchy chorus.

How Did She Get Here is probably one of the biggest shocks on this album. Again, a strong rock ballad, which again allows Cliff the story teller to shine. Stunning vocals.

Field Of Love is a bit mysterious. Again a new type of material from Cliff. I defy anyone to find anything in his back catalogue like this one.

Next is the gorgeous For Life. Think Unchained Melody with an edge. Again, this sounds like it could have been written years ago, but with a new twist. Cliff shows on this one that years of work have not diminished his vocal range one bit.

I Don't Wanna Lose You, another power ballad. Cliff at his heartbreaking best. Cliff has been performing Miss You Nights for years. This one is easily going to stand as long. Get the tissues out and listen.

Cliff is a Christian so it's perfectly natural that he should speak of his beliefs through his music. This time we have The Faithful One. It reminds me a little of Amazing Grace. It's such a moving song, which Cliff performs with the strength and diginity he is known for.

No one should consider their music collection complete unless they own this album. Cliff has long been written off as a bland ballad singer. As if we didn't already know, he has shown on this album that he is very far from that. He is a gifted performer, who deserves greater credit.

Don't judge this album, get out there and buy it!

But here it is at last - "Something's Goin' On" - a totally original album, quite different to Cliff's previous releases.

There's a mix of styles on here; some really lively rock songs, which Cliff delivers with enthusiasm and style, through to heart-rending, thought-provoking ballads, delivered with the heartfelt feeling and sincerity we have come to expect from him.

There are just three out-and-out rock numbers. "What Car?" is a fantastic song, lively and full of fun, and one that definitely appeals equally to both male and female; young and old I should think (but, especially young males who wouldn't normally grant Cliff a listen!). In my opinion this should definitely have been the first single from the album.

"Thousand Miles To Go" and "Sometimes Love" complete the rock selection, and this leaves ten more songs which, I suppose, must be termed ballads. But there are some very powerful ones here, not least "I Don't Wanna Lose You" and "How Did She Get Here".

There is not a bad song on the album, but the 'rockers' are so good it seems a shame that there are only the three of them, and maybe we could have had one or two more to balance it out a bit. This does not, however, detract from any of the ballads, which are all excellent. Cliff is more than capable of delivering both styles of song to perfection, as this album proves.

So, was this album worth the wait? I would definitely say "Yes", but I hope we don't have to wait as long for the next one - especially if it is going to be up to the standard of this one!