LIGHTNING WOMAN
Review 1

From Western Australia comes artist DARREN HUME who sings and plays on an interesting album.  He tells stories in his songs, songs about the land down under aka 'Oz' to some.

The songs cover everything form the legend sung about in the title track, to the 'Pink Saloon' (about a bar), to the land, about love, to home and a ditty for the "Crocodile Man" the famous Steve Irwin aka the 'Crocodile Hunter.'

Hume's vocals are interesting and unique.  Some may like them, others may not.  His music approach is varied, often laid back, and even fun.    He covers lots of subjects and his wide range of life experiences bring credibility to his songs.  He's been an actor, a DJ, an ice resurfacer, and more.

I like "Ghost Piano", "Traveling Home", the nicely flowing "Fortune Queen" and a country-like tune, "Rattlesnake Rose".  The rockiest was probably "Stereo Man" which seems a positive peon to those that fix up their cars and put in loud stereos.  In America that was all cool till around 1988 when the generic stereo was replaced by the terrorist 'thunder boomers' which are very powerful bass vehicles that can literally kill a person inside if the volume was turned up to full.  Ten to 15,000 dollar systems were no uncommon and the stereo man went from fun to a very serious problem.  Anyway it may be different in Aussie land.

CROCODILE MAN

"Crocodile Man" and the title track really capture the flavour of of Australia.  It seems a funner place with colour and characters similar to our Old West.  I think HUME'S music with its variety, clever lyrics, stories and exotic sense will be a hit for people wanting something different.  The album tracked at just under 38 minutes but seemed a lot longer.  It was something different and I really liked most of it.  Think you will too.

~ Reviewed and copyright by A. Canales CRITICAL REVIEW Service
USA

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LIGHTNING WOMAN
Review 2

When you think about it, there are very few if any truly forgotten eras in rock music.  Just about any rock style that reached its creative and commercial peak in the past be it new wave, old school punk, progressive rock, power metal, garage rock, glam rock, surf rock or thrash metalis, in some way, being revisited, rehashed or repackaged by and artist who didn't start recording until the 2000s.   You might not get an exact replica of the original thing, but there are plenty of 21st Century artist who manage to be retro and relatively modern/alternative at the same time (for example, neogarage outfits like the Strokes, Jet and the White Stripes).  On his second full-length album, Lightning Woman, Darren Hume obsesses over the '60s without offering a carbon copy of '60s rock or sounding totally dated, mildly dated, but not totally dated.  The Australian singer/songwriter brings a long list of '60s influences to the table, ranging from the Beatles' Brit pop to early Neil Young to psychedelic San Francisco pop-rock.  There are '80s and '90s influences as well, including Dire Straits and Midnight Oil; perhaps the Midnight Oil comparison comes too easily because Hume is an Aussie, but its a valid comparison nonetheless.  Hume, for all his '60s worship, is still relevant to alternative pop-rock; even so, the '60s influences are impossible to miss and are more than an afterthought on this 37 minute CD, they are an integral part of what he does.  Hume's somewhat quirky and eccentric vocal style is an acquired taste, but his performances do have a way of growing on you and while the song on Lightning Woman aren't mind-blowing, they are decent examples of tuneful, melodic pop-rock songcraft.  Despite its imperfections, Lightning Woman has more plusses than minuses and indicates that Hume is worth keeping an eye on.

~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide.
USA

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LIGHTNING WOMAN
Review 3

If ROCK is yer'forte, you won't be able to do WITHOUT this one... there are real varieties on this CD, its not "poppy plastic", as are so many these days... Mr. Hume hails from Australia, so I've no doubt we'll be hearin' tunes like "Crocodile Man", or the (VERY interesting) "Rattlesnake Rose" at th'local "Outback" steakhouse... sorta'subliminal, to get ya'hooked on Darren's upbeat interpretations of what RAWK is! 

Solid lyrical style, talent galore & a spirit of "fun" will kinda'take you back to what this music started out to be on our shores.  His tunes aren't (quite) as psychedelic as th'Fab Four got to be... more likewhen they first started out (I Wanna Hold Your Hand, & such)... but, they somehow remind me of those days, not sure why.  The key here is that if you're thirsting for some HEAV-y improv... yer' not gonna find it here - but if you enjoy cute tunes with some depth, you'll dig this.  I give it a RECOMMENDED for those who want more than just bubblegum rock.

~ Rotcod Zzaj
USA

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LIGHTNING WOMAN
Review 4

Quirky music man from Oz pays tribute to his native land in a variety of ways whether its honouring the myths of the outback or tipping the cap to the croc hunter we know from "Animal Planet" shows.  Winsome with its off-beatness, Hume delivers an alt.adult good time for those willing to suspend disbelief for a while and let the tales of far away places with strange sounding names work their magic.  One of those sets that's fun for kids of all ages.
USA

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LIGHTNING WOMAN
Review 5
Entertainment News & Views
LIGHTNING WOMAN CD contains 11 cuts. This Australian artist brings to life the stories, fantasy and reality of Australia! "Love Whispers", "Pink Saloon", "Lightning Woman" and "Cactus Garden" will amaze you. You'll find swingy roots, some breezy rock, modern rock and pub rock styles on this one CD. You'll enjoy this change of pace CD and can get a copy at www.darrenhume.com.

USA

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