14 years after their supposed farewell album Together Alone and follow-up tour (their final farewell show at the Sydney Opera House drew in over 100,000 people), Neil Finn and the rest of Crowded House are back to give it another go. Unfortunately the circumstances surrounding the reunion were not to be entirely joyous. Two years previous, original drummer Paul Hester took his own life after a life long battle with depression. As a tribute to the memory of Hester, Finn, Nick Seymour and Mark Hart (unfortunately Neil's equally talented brother Tim, formerly of the legendary group Split Enz, who joined Crowded House for 1991's superb Woodface, sat this one out) decided to dust off the Crowded House name and attempted to recreate some of that magic of old.

Fortunately for long-time fans the magic is definitely still there. Finn's voice is still as smooth as silk and sweet as honey. But due to the somber and melancholy tone of Time on Earth (even the title shows that this entire record was made with a heavy heart) it's Crowded House's most inaccessible album. But if ever a record needed to be described as a grower, Time on Earth is it. Yes, this record is bleak and even the few upbeat tunes such as "She Called Up" are terribly depressing, but Time on Earth reveals itself with repeated listens to be almost wholly brilliant and it turns out to be much better than Together Alone.

Tearjerkers such as "A Sigh," "Pour le Monde" and "People are Like Suns" will have you pinned to every word. The very best tracks here, though, are some of the finest that Finn has penned in his near 30-year career as a singer/songwriter. "Don't Stop Now" is aces and "English Trees" sparkles with beauty. Interestingly, "Silent House" which was co-written with The Dixie Chicks, is one of the most powerful tunes here as well. While it's not certain that Crowded House will exist again past this loving tribute to Paul Hester here's hoping that in the near future listeners will once again be able to spend some quality time with these exceptional Kiwi's and Aussies from down under.