With his sixteenth solo album HANDMADE, Chris Norman seems to go back to his initial roots. During many collaborations in the past with top-notch session musicians, working in many musical styles, the seasoned singer/guitarist gathered lots of experience and made use of the most up to date recording techniques, but in the end it seemed more inspiring to enter the studio with his own touring band. That's what is clearly audible on HANDMADE: the songs were not so much ?produced? in the narrow sense of the term but were recorded in an almost live environment in the way records used to be made.

The band are Geoff Carline, and Chris himself on guitars, Paul Geary, on Bass, Bob Dalton drums, Danny Juke on Keyboards and Elli Luha and Lynn McTaggart, singing back vocals. On the opening tune KEEP TALKING - Norman's single and radiopilot - the band does not solely rely on the catchy chorus. Several acoustic and electric guitars have been layered expertly over a driving beat ? no synthesizer, no drum computer in sight. A Hammond organ adds an interesting effect to the chorus. Chris's own penned IT'S CRAZY effectively keeps up the energy level, giving an insight to some of the strange goings on in today?s world: insane TV evangelists, hypocritically grinning journalists as well as the cruel inner city life with its winners and losers. Even the ballads signal an awakening. SOMETHING ABOUT YOU is a declaration of love without any sentimentality. His musical compliments are also more effective, because the main melody is skilfully interrupted several times.

One trademark of Chris's early formative work in clubs (with the band which eventually became Smokie,) was his love for the Beatles: ?We used to play everything in those days, our own material as well as the complete ABBEY ROAD medley? states Norman. SHE FORGOT, with its Lennon-McCartney harmonies is very reminiscent of this but with a contemporary treatment. Also IT'S ALRIGHT, another of Chris's original compositions, stands out by the strikingly simple melodic lines reminiscent of Buddy Holly. The exciting guitar solo makes the hair on your arms stand up, emulating the heavy-gauged, down tuned guitar strings of Duane Eddy with a wink of the eye. THE CARAVAN MOVES ON is destined to let folks in Nashville and down in Mississippi listen up, conjuring,as it does, old Cajun glories. The lyrics are rather melancholic, lamenting the loneliness of a musician on tour.

Time to switch gears back to the harder edge: On UNDER THE SAME SUN Chris Norman proves that his band can rock with the best of them. The lyrical content - solidarity in heartless surroundings, with homeless children for example - demands an extra catchy chorus, so the message sticks with you as you sing the chorus along with the children's choir. A while ago Chris got enthusiastic about the idea of an unplugged show with his band and guests.
Label bosses and producers are very fond of his inspired acoustic sessions during breaks in the studio anyway. The folky touch of Norman's BABY IT'S HISTORY is a reminder of this and with his mandolin playing Chris adds even more to the album's broad spectrum of styles.
In an acknowledgement to his many times spent in Germany ? Chris includes a song set in the capital called Angel Of Berlin.

There is a section of ANGEL OF BERLIN just before the last chorus which is as Beatlesque as probably the most disarming earcatcher on the entire CD, the ballad, ONLY YOU, co-written with Smokie's Ex-Drummer Pete Spencer.

On LET'S DO IT more guitars are employed again, Chris and Geoff compliment each other with rock riffs and funky licks. DOWN LOUISIANA brings the crescendo: Norman goes for it in this rocker like hardly ever before in his career and even folks who are familiar with the singer/guitarist's different styles will be amazed listening to this adrenalin laden song. Of course after this, the encore can only be thoughtful. Chris dedicated the beautiful ballad NOTHING STAYS THE SAME, which deals with life?s unpredictability, to his son Brian.

Chris Norman sounds fresher than many newcomers - to many his rough romantic voice is still reminiscent of Smokie, Don?t play your Rock & Roll to me, I`ll Meet You At Midnight, Living Next Door To Alice, Oh Carol and many more, everybody has their personal favourite, connected to Chris's throaty voice. Even though other singers have made cover versions of some of these hits. Norman himself reclaimed the classics in the late 90s by recording new versions of them for his FULL CIRCLE album. When Chris began his career, his initial goal, was to be recognised as an album artist, but this was pushed aside by Smokie's image as a hit singles band. It was songs like Don't Play Your Rock'n'Roll To Me and Living next door to Alice, that the fans wanted to hear since their singles' chart successes in 1975. And yet Smokie had started as an album orientated rock act. Since their schooldays in Bradford/ Yorkshire in the 60s, numerous gigs in clubs, pubs, dance halls and various other venues, as well as being the backing band for Hermans-Hermits singer Peter Noone, had given Chris and Smokie a good grounding in all the tricks of the Rock'n Roll trade.

Chris Norman remembers: ?We weren't so much interested in singles. That's why the back cover of our first LP PASS IT AROUND was designed in a way that made us look kind of folk/rocky. More like Crosby Stills & Nash or the Eagles - instead of a Glamrock band. We wore jeans, waistcoats, collarless shirts, personifying the West Coast image!? As much as Smokies' producers Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman were trying to get this image across by letting Norman's band have total freedom for writing songs, Smokie developed into a hit machine for the duo Chinn & Chapman. It was due to the band's professionalism and musical ability that the band composed most of its own album material from the outset with Chris and Pete Spencer major contributors. THE MONTREUX ALBUM or the Rhythm & Blues-orientated SOLID GROUND are still impressive in this day and age. Still: ?It's Your Life?, sang the singer with the husky voice and went on to follow his own path. His family life, songwriting, and studiowork became more important than the endless life on the road with Smokie.

So Chris Norman departed from Smokie and soon made it into the headlines as a solo artist with a song featured in the German cult criminal series Tatort . Norman's Midnight Lady became the show?s most famous song, a smash hit that held the #1 position for 6 weeks in Germany and was a huge success all over Europe. Just like Smokie's If You Think You Know How To Love Me, Midnight Lady was the beginning of a series of chart hits: Some Hearts Are Diamonds, Broken Heroes, Sarah etc. The albums and the singles always were of equal importance to Chris: After 16 albums Chris still insists that he is learning new things all the time, which shows that he still is willing to develop, as this album proves. HANDMADE is sure to be among Chris Norman's personal top albums.