"One of the most frustrating things…is that I've been making records for the last twenty years but people have only had one album. In many parts of the world, that first album is all people have heard."

But Colin Hay has a lot more to offer than just "Who Can it Be Now?", "Be Good Johnny", and "Down Under". His solo albums seem to have gotten lost in the wave of grunge inspired groups and candy coated teen music that dominated the nineties. With seven solo efforts under his belt and an eighth pending imminent release, the man whose group jumpstarted the flood of Australian musical exports of the eighties seems happy and satisfied with his current status in life.

Men at Work featuring Colin Hay, arrived at the Hotel Belfort in Medellin, several hours later than originally planned. Tired and exhausted after the aiport delays, Colin Hay still managed to win over the Medellin press with the same laid back style and humour that characterised the Men at Work interviews of the early to mid eighties. "I must say something like this hasn't happened since 1983," he joked looking around at the small group of reporters. Sporting a Hawaiian shirt and trademark sunglasses with his Scottish roots distinctly noticeable in his accent, he sat down for his first press conference in Medellin, Colombia; the middle stop on the band's three day tour of the country.

"Can I ask you why people always ask that question?" he replied to an inquiry about what fans could expect from the evenings show, laughing off his own sarcastic retort in a good natured fashion. "Every single place you go in the world, people (always ask that question) and I always wonder why?" I cautiously looked around to see how the group of Colombians, most of whom did not speak English fluently were receiving the brand of humour that most of us in the English world take for granted.

"I hope to have fun…and have some kind of connection," he finished sincerely, making a veiled reference to the title track from his new album Company of Strangers which is about the interaction between the audience and the performer.

It's refreshing to meet someone like Colin Hay who, despite the fact that he is nowhere near the status he achieved in the early eighties, continues to create original music and songs that have a unique style and quality about them. In addition, he seems content with his current life and what it has to offer. His respect for the beauty of the world and appreciation for the both good and the bad that it has to offer is evident in many of his lyrics, and in his ability to poke fun at himself. The name of his production label, "Lazy Eye Records", seems to be a natural extension of this philosophy.

"It (life) feels better than the past. The past wasn't that good." It was just difficult working with the same group of guys for years on end, he added. That being said, Colin Hay and Greg Ham toured Latin America for six years in the nineties writing and performing new songs which were originally intended to be included on a new Men at Work album. Unfortunately, that album never emerged, but Mr. Hay ensured the audience that that did not eliminate the possibility of a future Men at Work venture.

The concert itself was a nice mix of new and old tunes. The program was not driven by raucous staged theatrics or wild guitar solos, but by the solid performance of competent musicians, engaging the crowd with their music rather than their antics. At one point, after several slower introspective numbers, which featured Colin on acoustic guitar, he thanked everybody for being patient listening to his new music.

The new tunes, in fact sound great. The man's voice is still solid and his song writing skills tell personal tales expressed with emotive images. The sea is a recurring symbol in his music harking back to his Scottish roots as well as his Australian ones. As well, many of his songs examine the role of the traveller; the man who may have a home to come back to, but not to stay for any great length of time.

The band was accompanied by the backing vocals of the energetic Cecilia Noël from "Cecilia Noël and the Wild Clams". The clams sing, what Cecilia calls, SalSoul, a mixture of classic seventies soul and Latin Salsa rhythms. More information on Cecilia Noël's group can be found at www.wildclam.com .

For those not familiar with Colin Hay's solo career, his acoustic album, Going Somewhere, has a great retrospective of tunes written since the days of Men at Work. The intention of this album was to capture the intimate feel of the acoustic performances which people rave about.

The new Colin Hay album Company of Strangers will be available September 9 and can be purchased through www.colinhay.com. The site also has some interesting biographical information, samples from many of his past solo albums, and a description of the new album.

ScribeCentral.com and Ted Langlais would like to thank Camilo Pava and Super Estacion 92.9 from Medellin for making this article possible.

Ted Langlais currently resides in Medellin, Colombia where he teaches high school and writes about his experiences in Latin America.