ACTING VERY STRANGE

Whilst Rutherford's 1981 solo debut 'Smallcreep's Day' wasn't exactly a masterpiece, it did feature a handful of decent, well- written tunes, some interesting ideas and an over-arching concept - the little-read novel of the same name - that was strong enough to hold it together. Issued a couple of years later and much lighter in shade and tone, the same cannot, however, be said of 'Acting Very Strange'. The second-and-final solo effort from the original Genesis member before the formation of his blockbusting 1980's pop-rock act Mike + The Mechanics, this is essentially a straight-ahead commercial pop album designed to appeal to a mainstearm audience of housewives, pre-teenage girls and guys with no style. Prog-Rock this ain't. As a result, 'Acting Very Strange' really does struggle to justify it's place on this website, with the only explanation being the overall thoroughness of progarchives and the rule of: if you include one, you have to include the rest. And I wholeheartedly agree. Sadly, however, that means you will get occasional albums such as 'Acting Very Strange' slipping through the net. In this case, it's due to the light progressive textures found dotted throughout 'Smallcreep's Day', yet even that enjoyable record leans more towards casual pop-rock stylea than it does prog. The point being that even if you liked Rutherford's debut, you might struggle with this. However, if Mike + The Mechanics and unexceptional 1980's pop is your thing, you may just be tempted to take a look... STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON, 2015