''Are U Satisfied'' is the third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by New Zealand-born Australian musician

Jon Stevens Jon Stevens (born 8 October 1961) is a New Zealand singer, best known as the lead singer of the band Noiseworks in 1986–1992, the portrayal of Judas in a 1992 Australian production of '' Jesus Christ Superstar'', and as the lead singer fo ...

, 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 Noiseworks are an Australian hard rock band formed in Sydney in 1986 with bass guitarist Steve Balbi, guitarist Stuart Fraser, drummer Kevin Nicol, keyboardist Justin Stanley and lead vocalist Jon Stevens. They had four Australian Top 10 ...

(1986-1992) and played the role of

Judas Judas Iscariot (; ; died AD) was, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Judas betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane, in exchange for thirty pieces of ...

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 Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...

(1992). The album peaked at number 27 on the

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, 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 beca ...

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, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' wrote; "Produced by Stevens and

' 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

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, musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. His debut album ''Let Love Rule (Lenny Kravitz album), Let Love Rule'' (1989) was characterized by a blend of Rock music, rock ...

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

and

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 Richard Arnold Pleasance is an Australian rock musician and producer. He was a founding member of Boom Crash Opera on guitar, bass guitar, vocals and as a songwriter in 1985; they released three albums before Pleasance left in 1992. Their hit Au ...

, 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 Virgil Donati (born 22 October 1958) is an Australian drummer, composer and producer. He holds the drum sticks in the traditional style and is also proficient at the keyboard. Donati formed Planet X with Derek Sherinian and was the band's pri ...

– drums * Jed Starr – guitar * Nick Barker – 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, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

, keyboards

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1993 albums Jon Stevens albums Columbia Records albums