"I've always had very strong ideas about how I wanna sound and I've been known to lock horns with producers recording various Models tunes; even the Absent Friends and Dukes records later on. So it feels good to have the final say, to put my own stamp on my own sound for a change."

 

When Sean Kelly says Moons of Jupiter is his "debut album," he's only half joking. Although he's been the unequivocal leader of three distinct, highly regarded bands spanning 30 years and myriad line-ups, this is the first album to feature his name up front; the first to feature his lead vocals exclusively.

 

It's also the first time Sean's incredibly diverse repertoire – from the angular new wave experimentalism of the early Models to the soulful FM radio grooves of the Absent Friends to his current, jazz-influenced touring outfit – has been cast in a continuous, unified mood and style. The result is a new benchmark of expression for one of our most respected musical journeymen.

 

"This album was the result of several happy coincidences," he says. "For a long time I had considered putting out an album of songs from my three projects – Models, Absent Friends, the Dukes – something that was representative of how eclectic my music has been over the years.

 

"The other happy coincidence was that I've essentially been doing an acoustic thing for the last few years anyway, so the idea of recording retrospectively with an acoustic brief meant I just had to learn a few songs with my band."

 

The "few songs" turned into a dozen, from Models circa '81 to two new Kelly originals via covers of Roy Orbison and INXS. Rolling on the fluid grooves of double bassist Rosie Westbrook and drummer Peter Jones, his seasoned live band fuses seemingly disparate times and tunes into a fresh, organic whole.

 

"Most of the musicians had pretty significant input," he says. " We also have Dirty Kurt Lindtner on harmonica, Andrew Duffield and Bill Miller doing cameos. I play a lot of slide guitar these days. I have a love of rhythm and blues and jazz and improvisation and I've always encouraged people to improvise and jam within a song arrangement."

 

Hence the progressive feel that's always characterised Sean's work, even in the familiar surrounds of bona fide classics such as Two Cabs To the Toucan, I Hear Motion, Happy Birthday IBM and Evolution. Co-producer Craig Harnath, a kindred spirit since Models toured with Kids in the Kitchen in the early '80s, rides shotgun on an affectionate journey from past to present.

 

"If you'd asked me ten years ago to do this I might have hesitated cause I've always been emphatic that I wanted to focus on new material," says Sean, "but I'm actually rapt at how some of these tunes turned out. I'm also grateful for these songs cause they enable me to continue working on new music."