Wayne Fontana - Wayne One (Reissue) (1966/2004)

Wayne Fontana's first album following his split with the Mindbenders, 1966's Wayne One, is a curious affair. While the Mindbenders' releases followed the same British Invasion/blue-eyed soul path, Fontana made a headlong rush into the pop world. Featuring the smooth Les Reed Orchestra and top sessioneers like Big Jim Sullivan as backing musicians, the record is a mix of covers of Gershwin tunes, pop ballads like "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" and "Perfidia," a nice version of "The Entertainer," and some fine self-penned soul weepers. Fontana wails like a man breaking loose from his past and really puts his heart into the songs. When the slick backing is scaled down a bit and the additional vocalists show some grit, like on "Come On Home" or "My Friend and I," he works up quite a head of steam. The best song on the record, where his easy pop aspirations reach their Scott Walker-style apex, is his massive cover of the Bert Berns/Jerry Ragovoy ballad "It Was Easier to Hurt Her." It makes up for the couple of duff tracks like the corny Gershwin song "Please Stop the Wedding," which includes some incomprehensible (and reprehensible) voice-overs, and the melody-free "Internal Circle." Despite the failure of the record at the time, it sounds like a very noble and entertaining effort many years later.