Supertramp-Some Things Never Change (1997)

With "Some Things Never Change", Supertramp's tenth album, Rick Davies boldly embraced jazz and blues sounds, almost entirely abandoning the progressive forays and sophisticated pop tracks of their two previous releases, "Brother Where You Bound" and "Free As A Bird". On this new recording, Davies reunited with two of his bandmates from the group's golden era: saxophonist John Helliwell and drummer Bob Siebenberg. The lineup was further enhanced by guitarist Carl Verheyen, bassist Cliff Hugo, and singer, guitarist, and keyboardist Mark Hart, among other musicians. "Some Things Never Change" features exquisitely produced tracks with superb arrangements, most of them rooted in jazz and blues, but where progressive sounds still subtly coexist, as demonstrated in "It's a Hard World", a track with that typical Supertramp organic sound. Other tracks like "Live To Love You" and "Get Your Act Together" maintain that old spirit, but in a very subtle way. Following the stylistic pattern of the hit "Cannonball" comes "Some Things Never Change", a track that provides just the right amount of commercial appeal to give the album a lively and fresh feel. The vintage "You Win, I Lose" and "C'est What?", the jazz fusion "Sooner Or Later", the bluesy "Help Me Down That Road", and the melodic "Give Me A Change" all combine to form a very respectable effort that, while not reaching the heights of their excellent work from the 70s, left intact the enormous credibility of one of the greatest bands of all time.