Morten Harket's boyish good looks are a double-edged sword in the music world. Firstly, A-ha's first wave of success was partly due to their lead singer's finely chiselled cheekbones but they also suffered from critics and heterosexual males alike who dismissed them as teen poster fodder. If that was an unfair criticism at the time, this latest album blows that theory totally out of the water, for 'Minor Earth Major Sky' is an excellent hour's worth of modern adult rock. From the assured confidence and modern production touches on the title track, the Norwegian trio rarely lose their footing thanks mainly to main songwriter's Paul Waaktar-Savoy's winning way with a melody and Harket's admirable vocal range. Over a consistently good 13 tracks, A-ha only slip up once on the soppy balladry of 'To Let You Win' but immediately after things pick up with the bitter-sounding 'Company Man'. The heartfelt 'Barely Hanging On' is exactly the kind of song a bunch of 40 year-olds should be making whilst 'Summer Moved On' and 'Velvet' recall the majesty of their earlier singles. It's a little too late for worldwide success but this is a pleasant surprise indeed.