Whilst John Howard's first album suffered from a lack of promotion, its successor did not even get released. Until now that is. 'Technicolour Biography' features Howard with the simplest of arrangements; just him and his trusty piano. Of course, a lack of studio trickery means that Howard's songwriting has to be top-notch and so it is. Howard has been compared by some to Elton John but he writes his own lyrics which are of a considerably more down-to-earth nature than Bernie Taupin's; his stories feature everyday people such as the subject of 'Lonely Woman'. More often than not, though, the character is himself: 'Blink In The Darkness' looks for solace after the passing of his mother whilst 'Hall Of Mirrors' and the title track are dark dissections of the myths of fame. More importantly all these songs are deeply moving; managing to find individual melodies within a limited musical set-up.