John Illsley
Album: Testing The Water
Label: Creek
Tracks: 8
Website: http://johnillsley.com/

It's been four year's since Dire Staits bass player, John Illsley released a solo album. To quote the man himself, "One can only make a record when it feels right and for me the time was right. I was missing being in the studio and playing music seriously. This record was an important one for me to make."

Needless to say, being a man of action as much as words, he put a band together, a band that includes Guy Fletcher, who also produced the album and Simon Johnson amongst their number, headed off to the studio and the tentatively titled "Testing The Water" is the result.

I suspect one of the reasons that title is that this is an album that is both more personal and more political than his previous cut, "Streets Of Heaven". Ironically the contents of the songs feel more blunt and more assured, "Testing The Water" seems to have a more direct approach, rather than hiding behind fancy words.

As you can imagine with an album that comes from a man that has built his reputation as the master of the four string, there are more than a few hook laden bass lines that make their way into the album, most noticeably on "When God Made Time".

From the painting on the sleeve, one of John's own, to the last note of sign off track, "This Is Your Voice", "Testing The Water" has a classy feel to it, one that stops just short of being over polished and ultimately, I think the reason for that is that John Illsley has put more of himself into this one.

Neil King