SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: DHANI HARRISON – INNERSTANDING

DHANI HARRISON
INNERSTANDING
H.O.T. RECORDS/BMG

It has been far too long since Dhani Harrison has released a new solo album. In 2017 he released the brilliant In///Parallel, which firmly established him as a solo artist. Its official follow-up Innerstanding has arrived. It was worth the wait. Harrison, when working solo, has never made it a point to be commercial and jump trends. Innerstanding is no exception, it is very original and fascinating. He seems to be experimenting with sounds, vocals, and and for the most part it works. One discovers new things with each spin on the turntable.

Of course, during the past few years, Harrison has been busy. Besides resurrecting the Dark Horse Records label, he released a couple of singles, worked with several artists (including UNKLE) and produced some albums for others. But Innerstanding is the album the one that fans have been anticipating. Much like Julian Lennon and Sean Ono Lennon, who had to prove they were not carbon copies of their father, Harrison does the same thing here. Harrison proves once and for all he is a remarkably talented musician, writer, and producer.

From the opening track, the very unexpected and frightening “Dangerous Lies ”to the closing track, “Wolves Around The City (featuring Mereki)”, Harrison pulls out all stops to take the listener on a journey where each and every song is a different side trip. He is not afraid to tackle brilliant guitar solos, especially on “Ahoy There (featuring Liela Moss)”. His guitar work is fantastic and lays the foundation for a very solid and heavy song. It is a highlight of the album, and his vocals with Moss are stirring and they complement each other beautifully.

Elsewhere, the album goes in all sorts of directions. The first single, “Damn The Frequency”, is a moody piece of music, which leads to “The Dancing Tree”, which owes more to Pink Floyd than it does to any Beatle or George Harrison song. Again, it is his ability to layer sound and play with the elements of it that make it so interesting. Meanwhile “Ghost Garden” is heartbreaking, and yet with the synthesizer interplay it becomes a sonic treat.

Harrison has definitely created a masterpiece with this album. Innerstanding is brilliant, from the stark front sleeve to the sounds found on the record. It is full of surprises, strong vocals, and excellent instrumentation. It is a truly creative work by an artist who has learned and incorporated a great deal from the masters who came before him, and in his own way, he is carving out his own place in the rock ‘n’ roll dynasty. It is contemporary but also a little ahead of its time. Innerstanding proves once and for all that Dhani Harrison is a brilliant and original artist.

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