Million Suns

Eight years on from finishing runner-up to Guy Sebastian in the first series of Australian Idol and New South Wales rocker Shannon Noll has impressively managed to avoid the "here today, gone tomorrow" fate of most of the show's subsequent alumni, as evidenced by his fourth studio album, A Million Suns. Despite a label change from Sony to Universal and a four-year gap since 2007's Turn It Up, most of its 12 tracks stick to what he knows best, with only a slightly out-of-place faithful rendition of James Brown's "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" upsetting the Americanized soft rock apple cart. "My Place in the Line" and "Living in Stereo" are arena-sized anthems that might briefly satisfy those waiting impatiently for the next Bryan Adams record, the the impassioned melodies of the lead single, "Switch Me On," echo the radio-friendly AOR of Goo Goo Dolls rather than the pop-punk usually associated with its writer, Good Charlotte's Benji Madden, while "Til We Say So" and the title track are blistering slices of blue-collar rock that showcase Noll's vocals at their most gravelly. Unfortunately, Lindsay Rimes and Bryon Jones' polished but generic production renders the likes of "Path of Gold," "Rewind," and "Would It Be So Bad" indistinguishable from one another, while the over-earnest balladry of "Come Home" and "Long Way Home" suggests he may never fully leave his talent show background behind. A Million Suns should ensure that Noll remains one of Australian Idol's most enduring contestants, but it's merely a competent return rather than an "all guns blazing" comeback. ~ Jon O'Brien