''Are U Satisfied'' is the third
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by New Zealand-born Australian musician
Jon Stevens, released in October 1993. It was preceded by the lead single "
Going Down", which peaked at number 39 on the ARIA singles chart.
The album is described by Music Theatre Australia as having "an infectious raw rock spirit."
It was the first solo album in eleven years, in which time Stevens had been the lead singer of
Noiseworks (1986-1992) and played the role of
Judas in the Australian production of
Jesus Christ Superstar
''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...
(1992).
The album peaked at number 27 on the
ARIA Charts
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
.
Critical reception
Darryl Mason from ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' wrote; "Produced by Stevens and
Noiseworks' guitarist Stuart Fraser and recorded in just a few weeks with a bunch of good friends, ''Are U Satisfied'' could well have been cluttered and self-indulgent. But
Jon Stevens understands Australia's rock-loving crowds and, on these levels, ''Are U Satisfied?'' does not disappoint.
The record is thick with good, strong songs, mostly about love and relationships, but the music is almost stripped to its bare bones. It smells pleasantly of Seventies-retro — the kind that artists like
Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk.
Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male Roc ...
are now exploring — funky, riff-driven numbers with peaking swirls of keyboards and boppin' stomp rhythms. A number of the songs also sound so familiar that you'd swear they're obscure covers.
One of the most pleasantly surprising aspects of ''Are U Satisfied'' is the lack of radio-friendly ballads. "Burn So Bright" is about the closest this album comes to a ballad, and even so, this song's quiet moments are impaled on hooking, gritty riffs.
With
Noiseworks and
Jesus Christ Superstar
''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...
fading in the distance, ''Are U Satisfied'' marks the beginning of a new phase in Jon Stevens's career, and while it is not overly experimental or innovative, it will satisfy those who dig their rock straight up, tight, honest and unpolished."
Track listing
# "Hard as Stone" (Jon Stevens, Jed Starr, Stuart Fraser) – 3:35
# "
Going Down" (Stevens,
Richard Pleasance, Fraser) – 3:02
# "Love Makes No Sense" (Stevens, Kevin Saviour) – 3:51
# "All I Need Is You" (Stevens, Fraser) – 3:55
# "Stay" (Stevens, Starr, Fraser) – 4:04
# "Say What Ya Mean" (Stevens) – 3:54
# "I'll Be There" (Stevens, Nick Barker, Fraser) – 3:20
# "Change Your Mind" (Stevens, Barker) – 3:25
# "Burn So Bright" (Stevens, Barker) – 4:15
# "Reflections" (Stevens, Starr) – 4:28
# "Are U Satisfied" (Stevens, Fraser, Tom DeLuca) – 4:11
Personnel
* Stuart Fraser – bass, electric guitar
*
Virgil Donati – drums
*
Jed Starr – guitar
*
Nick Barker
Nicholas Paul Barker is an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist who formed a rock, power pop band, Nick Barker & the Reptiles, in March 1988. Their cover version of Cockney Rebel's "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" reached the top  ...
– guitar, "wisecracks"
* Jon Stevens – vocals, acoustic guitar
*
Paul Gray –
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...
, keyboards
Charts
References
{{Authority control
1993 albums
Jon Stevens albums
Columbia Records albums