It’s been about a year now since Sydney singer songwriter Van Sereno came out with his 7th album “Gratitude”. He was criticized for not sticking to his usual brand of acoustic pop. People tended to judge that he was not an artist of consistency, floating from one style to another (folk to reggae to rock and back). Also with his diverse topics of discussion within his craft, from a song about depression, to the World War 2,to the two convicted Bali drug smugglers and even a song about the Fukushima Daichi power plant! His thinking was that it was a knee jerk reaction to hearing the criticism of listeners of the 6th album “Hey Wait Stay” - that it all sounded the same, that there was no colour, no range. He took some months off and really thought about what he wanted his next album to be. Also took some time to really reflect and focus on himself, self improvement so to speak. Rather than make comment from past events, rather than make songs of complaints, or ‘woe is me’ statements, he had an “aha moment”…he thought “Lets make happy music”! For his 8th collection of songs, he decided to talk about the things that really matter in life, about personal development, about teamwork, friendship and of course it wouldn’t be a Van Sereno album unless there are songs about love and relationships, but there lies a definite air of maturity within this body of work. Sereno conveys stories of self awareness, growth and positivity. Going back to basics and concentrating on the blues genre and of course mixing it with pop, his presentation is conversational, almost like you were catching up with a friend over a beer at the local pub. With the intention of making the sound of this album vintage but yet modern, in reverence to the throwback seventies and the deep southern blues artists of old. It’s a classic sound with a live band feel, but yet there’s just enough synths and funky feel good vibes to know that it’s a 2017 release. In this day and age we find that too many of us are caught up in the politics of this world, worrying about money, about disagreements, and getting caught up in the fear. Sereno is calling his 8th album “Don’t Worry”, and in so doing has created a bunch of songs that affirm strength, endurance, honesty, persistence and integrity. There are only two tracks that claim the slow beats per minute ratio, other than those much of the album are above the foot stomping 100bpm, so you’ll be guaranteed to be up on your feet or at least tapping that steering wheel in sync with the tunes. Standout tracks would have to be the disco “Backfired”, the groovy “Swagger” and the relentless “Keep on keeping on”. 1 "Guard My Mind" Lead Vocals & Guitar Van Sereno Keys Casper Tromp Bass Kristian Attard Drums Claudio Cartagena 2 "Swagger" Lead Vocals & Guitar Van Sereno Backing Vocals Tina Bangel Backing Vocals Stephanie Jansen Keys Casper Tromp Bass Kristian Attard Drums Claudio Cartagena Percussion Claudio Cartagena 3 "Navigator" Lead Vocals & Guitar Van Sereno Backing Vocals Tina Bangel Backing Vocals Stephanie Jansen Keys Casper Tromp Bass Kristian Attard Drums Claudio Cartagena Percussion Claudio Cartagena 4 "Nothing" Lead Vocals & Guitar Van Sereno Backing Vocals Tina Bangel Backing Vocals Stephanie Jansen Keys Daren Sirbough Bass Dauno Martinez Drums Claudio Cartagena Percussion Claudio Cartagena 5 "Progress" Vocals & Guitar Van Sereno Keys Casper Tromp Bass Kristian Attard Drums Claudio Cartagena Percussion Claudio Cartagena 6 "Stubborn" Backing Vocals Tina Bangel Backing Vocals Stephanie Jansen Violin Emma Greenhill Trumpet Dane Laboyrie Keys Casper Tromp Bass Kristian Attard Drums Claudio Cartagena 7 "Don't Worry" Vocals & Guitar Van Sereno Keys Casper Tromp Bass Kristian Attard Drums Claudio Cartagena Percussion Claudio Cartagena 8 "Backfired" Lead Vocals & Guitar Van Sereno Backing Vocals Tina Bangel Backing Vocals Stephanie Jansen Keys Daren Sirbough Bass Dauno Martinez Drums Claudio Cartagena Percussion Claudio Cartagena 9 "Only Good" Vocals & Guitar Van Sereno Keys Casper Tromp Bass Kristian Attard Drums Claudio Cartagena Percussion Claudio Cartagena 10 "Keep On Keeping On" Lead Vocals & Guitar Van Sereno Backing Vocals Tina Bangel Backing Vocals Stephanie Jansen Keys Daren Sirbough Bass Dauno Martinez Drums Dom Cabrera 11 "I Love It" Lead Vocals & Guitar Van Sereno Backing Vocals Tina Bangel Backing Vocals Stephanie Jansen Keys Daren Sirbough Bass Dauno Martinez Drums Claudio Cartagena Percussion Claudio Cartagena 12 "Good Friend" Lead Vocals & Guitar Van Sereno Backing Vocals Tina Bangel Backing Vocals Stephanie Jansen Keys Daren Sirbough Bass Dauno Martinez Drums Claudio Cartagena Percussion Claudio Cartagena 13 "I'll Take Care Of You" Lead Vocals & Guitar Van Sereno Backing Vocals Tina Bangel Backing Vocals Stephanie Jansen Keys Daren Sirbough Bass Dauno Martinez Drums Claudio Cartagena Percussion Claudio Cartagena 14 "Push" Vocals & Guitar Van Sereno Keys Daren Sirbough Bass Dauno Martinez Drums Claudio Cartagena 15 "Marry Me" Vocals & Guitar Van Sereno Keys Daren Sirbough Bass Dauno Martinez Drums Claudio Cartagena Tracking Engineers Byron Mark @ Springfield Studios Bradley Benson @ Bougainville Studios Josh Paul @ Arthur Street Studios Van Sereno @ Bougainville Studios Mixing Engineer Andro Martinez @ Gang Of Brothers HQ Mastering Engineer William Bowden @ King Willy Mastering Graphic Design Dave Shooter Photography Kearsten Louise Photography Duplication/Printing Mad CDs All tracks written & produced by Van Sereno All rights reserved ©v.c.ilagan2017