Bernard Fanning will return with not one, but two albums over the next 12 months, the first of which will be Civil Dusk (released August 5). The appetiser to the set Wasting Time is a melodic piece of pop with a hook that should please most Fanning/Powderfinger fans. 
The challenge for Bernard Fanning and indeed any singer with a recognisable voice is how do they distinguish themselves and their solo work from the sound of their former entities? Perhaps for Fanning it isn’t a problem at all, in that his former band were the biggest Australian rock band of their era so that the already established fan base should be more than willing to embrace his solo work.
Fanning’s debut solo set Tea & Sympathy was a huge hit and whilst it was released when Powderfinger were still a going concern, its stripped back acoustic arrangements were a refreshing diversion from what Powderfinger fans had previously experienced. On the follow up Departures Fanning went after more of a R & B sound with solid grooves and driving horns. It didn’t enjoy the same level of success as its predecessor, perhaps because ironically it had moved towards the same sort of sonic territory that Powderfinger had once occupied. If Wasted Time, led by a solitary piano intro and acoustic rhythm guitar before being fleshed out by a full band is an indicator of what is to come it might just be the middle ground between Fanning’s first two outings that may prove to be his biggest success yet. Fanning’s 4th solo album Brutal Dawn is expected early in 2017.
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