Chain Reaction

by Jonathan LewisBy the time John Farnham released Chain Reaction the audience that had so faithfully supported Whispering Jack had moved on, and this album was aimed more at the adult contemporary market. As a result this album is bland, colourless and serves no purpose than to rehash the successful formula of Whispering Jack and Age of Reason. Nonetheless, some of these songs are catchy pop tunes. "That's Freedom" is this album's attempt at a rewrite of "You're the Voice" and almost manages to recapture the spirit of that song, while "In Days To Come" is a great song that became a deserving Australian hit. Not everything is good, however. The title track ("Chain Reaction") is a mediocre tune at the best, and the piano and string-laden "Burn For You" plumbs saccharine depths that even Michael Bolton would have thought twice about.