Mike And The Mechanics - Out Of The Blue (BMG)

Over the years Mike and The Mechanics have had quite a few lead singers: in the early years former Sad Cafe vocalist Paul Young and Sheffield born Paul Carrack sang many of the tracks, in fact Paul Carrack co wrote Over My Shoulder and Get Up with Mike Rutherford the Genesis guitarist who is the driving force behind Mike and the Mechanics.

These days the vocalists in the group are Andrew Roachford and Tim Howar. The two have probably been with the band now longer than Paul Young and Paul Carrack were.

With this in mind, the band have re-recorded their hits with the Roachford and Howar, including 3 brand new tracks. The lead single Out of the Blue is indicative of the other 2 new tracks here being very mellow.

The problem with re-recording the older tracks with new vocalists is that you inevitably think back to the original versions. To keep the tracks up to date some of the new versions have slightly new arrangements which, if you have seen the band live recently, will resonate with you.

Andrew Roachford provides a strong vocal on The Living Years, though I still prefer the version with Paul Carrack. Get Up, again sung by Roachford sounds more soulful than the rockier vocal Paul Young gave the song.

Another Cup of Coffee with Roachford's vocals lacks the deep vocal that made Paul Carrack's version so distinctive.

Tim Howar has a voice that does justice to All I Need Is A Miracle, but again the version sung originally by Paul Young has more depth and is far stronger.

Word of Mouth always was an uplifting track that Paul Young gave such a joyous vibe and was one of the best of his career before he sadly passed away. Here Tim Howar nearly comes close on an album that shows where Mike and the Mechanics are at present.

I rate the album 3 out of 5