One Nil to solo life

Only a particularly brave or foolhardy musician would consider breaking up his group just as they were about to become one of the most successful acts in the world. But that's precisely what Neil Finn did in 1996 when he dissolved Crowded House.

Having broken into the American charts in the Eighties with haunting singles such as Don't Dream Its Over and Its Only Natural, the Antipodean band had consolidated their appeal in Britain with their fourth album, Together Alone. The consensus was that their next record would be their biggest yet.

But New Zealander Finn had other ideas. The singer, who first tasted success as a guitarist in Split Enz, his older brother Tim's group. was keen to go solo.

"I didn't want to be in a band any more" he says."I'd been in two bands and they'd both compromised my family life too much. People told me Crowded House were on the brink of becoming massively successful. Maybe I didn't fully recognise that but I was also slightly scared by the prospect. Its brilliant to hear tour songs pouring out of the radio, but there are also anxieties that go with being a successful band.

Having begun his solo career with 1998's experimental Try Whistling This, Finn returns to more accessible material with his new album One Nil, out on April 9th. Recorded with former Price collaborators Wendy Melvoin (drums, bass and guitar) and Lisa Coleman (keyboards), it emphasis his ability to craft mature, melodic pop with an unashamedly romantic slant.

The album's first single, Wherever You Are, came out on Monday. "I went through a period of readjustment after Crowded House" Finn says of his old bands amicable parting. "But I never doubted that ending the group was the right thing to do".

"When you're solo, you can have more of an adventure - you can work with different musicians without making a massive lifestyle commitment to them. Crowded House didn't indulge in drugs or groupies, but we were still a boy's club". The decision to go solo has enabled 42-year-old Finn to spend more time with his wife Sharon, to whom he's been married to for 18 years, and their sons - Liam, 17, and 11-year-old Elroy - in New Zealand. One Nil was recorded partly in LA and partly in the singers own studio outside Auckland. "I spent years trying to get away from New Zealand " he says. "Now I'm starting to bring it all back home. When Wendy and Lisa came to the country, we did a tiny club gig in Auckland. unannounced and unrehearsed, just to get into the mood.

Finn met his two American cohorts through producer Tchad Blake. "When you work with new musicians, you get extra sparkle through trying to impress them" he says. "Wendy has a great feel for drums and bass and that helped to give the album more of a groove".

Wendy and Lisa's presence is most pronounced in the heavy rhythms of Don't Ask Why, but best songs on One Nil hint at the lilting melodies that were a key ingredient in Crowded House. Rest of the Day Off is gently hypnotic while Anytime recalls the Beatles.

Confidence boosted by his collaborations, Finn is looking towards other challenging liaisons. He is working on a piece with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and a children's choir.

His British tour, which opens on April 21st in Belfast, could feature impromptu appearances from musicians drawn from the audience, a Finn specialty.

"I want to keep my hand in with pop while broadening my horizons" he concludes. "I don't want to sound self satisfied but I've spent a few years agonising about where I am going and now I am happy where I am. I'm not a megastar but I have a loyal audience who allow me a lot of freedom".