What happens when you’re a musician who gets burnt out and tired and desperate for a change?  If you’re Missy Higgins, it apparently means that you take a few years off and then come back better than ever.

My first recommendation, for those of you who have followed Missy from the beginning, is to let go of any sort of expectations you may have for the music on this record.  By this I mean, don’t expect another The Sound of White or even another folky, guitar-driven On A Clear Night.  That is not to say that The Ol’ Razzle Dazzle isn’t great, because it is.  It’s just different.

You can hear the difference immediately.  ”Set Me On Fire” starts off with rhythmic vocals and finger snapping.  The verses are rather simple vocally, but the supporting instrumental melody is complex and balances nicely with the simplicity of the vocals.  The chorus is what really sets this song a part from every other song on the record as it creates this hybrid folk-electronica sound with Missy’s voice soaring through.

Some more notable songs include: the quirky “Hello Hello,” which incorporates all kinds of little unique sound bits and vocal reflections; the beautifully executed “All In My Head,”; “Watering Hole,” which really lets us in on the major Nashville influence on this record with the gospel-esque melody; and of course, the beautiful and incredibly touching tune, “Everyone’s Waiting,” a live version of which is below:

Missy Higgins – Everyone’s Waiting from In the Open on Vimeo.

To sum it up: Keep your mind open to this new record from Missy Higgins. It’s honest in the best way.  Give it a chance and I think it just might come through for you.

You can pick up a copy of the record on July 17th!  I’ll post a link as soon as it becomes available!  In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more about Missy – check out my 2009 interview with her here.