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One interesting singer
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This review first appeared in the November 21, 1984 issue of The Daily Aztec.
Better known as a producer (Howard Jones, Chris DeBurgh), Rupert Hine is also an intriguing vocalist and songwriter some critics compare favorably to Peter Gabriel. His new album, "The Wildest Wish to Fly," is accessible enough to serve as pleasant pop, but has enough nooks and crannies to also withstand repeated close listenings.
"No Yellow Heart" is the strongest song on the album. Hine's rough, gravelly voice is reminiscent of an early David Bowie, while the song is eccentric in style and form – with quick, staccato verses broken up by slow, undulating choruses.
He displays his full vocal range on "Blue Flame (Melt the Ice)." Singing both the beautifully meandering melody, and the minor harmony, Hine gives the song a surrealistic glow.
"I Hang on to my Vertigo" is an equally haunting song, with very illusory lyrics:
A bat on the edge
With a bad mind
Privately found
The best release I know
Some way to let go
Try tossing that at your shrink next time you're on the couch ...
Hine's buddy Robert Palmer sits in on three cuts, including "Living in Sin," the best of the duets. The two vocals complement each other, and the song has a strong melody laid out by Hine on keyboards. "Picture-Phone" is an interesting bit of commentary on the intrusion of technology into our lives, and "The Most Dangerous of Men" – Palmer's final duet with Hine – is another of Hine's oddly constructed songs, with minor harmonies to counter the quick, staccato melody.
The last song of the album is the title track, which is a brooding paean to a young man whose romanticism and honor lead him to war:
And he was just a dreamer
With a conscience and in love
He wore his wings just like a crown
Yet still they shot him down.