The Cruel Sea came very close to breaking up after the massive Australian success of 1994's
Three Legged Dog, and the group who returned on 1998's
Over Easy is pointedly different than before, although the personnel is the same. The live-in-a-room sound of
Three Legged Dog is absent; in its place, the Cruel Sea have adopted a songwriting style based on slowly evolving layers of loops and samples, with an increased interest in reggae and other world music styles to boot. The
Thin Lizzy-like folk-metal of "Hard Times" and the
Beck-inspired wonky groove of "13th Floor" in particular reveal appealing new sides to the band. The lazy, summery vibe of the single "Taking All Day" is more traditional
Cruel Sea fare, with singer
Tex Perkins more to the forefront than he is on the rest of the album. Dismissed by some longtime fans as a misguided experiment,
Over Easy is actually a most intriguing album that shows off the group's strengths in new and interesting ways. ~ Stewart Mason