Sheppard – Kaleidoscope Eyes
(Empire Of Song)
Reviewed by Bridget Herlihy.
It seems that Australia has a knack for producing mega-talented pop stars. One only needs to look to the likes of Olivia Newton-John, John Farnham, Savage Garden, Delta Goodrem, Guy Sebastian, and a legion of others, and you start to wonder if there is something in the water in the land down under. ‘Kaleidoscope Eyes’, the brand spanking new third album from ‘pop powerhouse’ Sheppard, is the kind of album that may just propel them even closer to the pinnacle of Aussie pop royalty, not to mention solidifying their place on the world stage.
The follow-up to 2018’s critically acclaimed ‘Watching The Sky’, ‘Kaleidoscope Eyes’ has been two years in the making. Interestingly, the big reveal of the album in its entirety has played out over the last year, with the Brisbane-based group opting to release a track from the album each month in Australia, which is quite a feat in itself.
The trio are renowned for popular crowd pleasers ‘Coming Home’ and ‘Geronimo’, with the latter having over 360 million plays on Spotify to date. ‘Kaleidoscope Eyes’ presents an impressive 16 tracks that clearly shows that Sheppard are continuing to hone their craft, delivering some pop-tastic tunes that reveal a new dimension to the group.
This album reveals a more confident and self-assured Sheppard – an established group that are comfortable in themselves and their sound. ‘Kaleidoscope Eyes’ is a well-rounded and polished album that has all of the makings of a great pop album: bangers, ballads, and sing-along, dance-worthy tracks. In a nutshell, ‘Kaleidoscope Eyes’ is an uplifting sonic experience. Dealing with everything from joy, to love, to heartbreak, to loss, and everything in between, it is near impossible to sit still while listening to this album. Latest single M.I.A is undoubtedly one of the album’s standout tracks, an upbeat and very catchy ode to escapism. For fans who couldn’t get enough of ‘Geronimo’, the uplifting ‘Symphony’ will be sure to please and will leave you with a smile on your face. MORE beat-heavy ‘Catalina’ is another standout track, as is the somewhat more mellow album closer ‘Lazy Love’.
When we think of a kaleidoscope, a colourful collection of symmetrical, fragmented shapes come to mind; shapes that are ever-changing as the viewer continues to turn the vessel that holds the kaleidoscope. And this is a fitting analogy – and title – for this album, At its core ‘Kaleidoscope Eyes’ illustrates a change in Sheppard; is a finely tuned collection of tracks that are full of heart, and bursting with different acoustic dimensions that are full of sonic colour. ‘Kaleidoscope Eyes’ is a frontrunner for feel-good album of the year, and there is no doubt that it will be a crowd pleaser.
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