The singer-songwriter and guitarist of the iconic group of the 80s is releasing a new album.

Entitled “In Solo”, Gary Kemp does a lot of the heavy lifting musically – vocals, guitars, piano and of course, songwriting.

Kemp was interviewed a few weeks ago by Bulletin Entertainment after the release of the single “Ahead Of The Game”.

He’s certainly no stranger to multitasking, given his history with the Spandau Ballet. On this occasion, however, we noticed his guitar playing. After all these years, Kemp is still playing so solid. Undoubtedly sharpened by his passage within the group Saucerful Of Secrets, which he shares with his leader, the ex-drummer of Pink Floyd Nick Mason.

“Nobody plays guitar on the radio anymore, but if the guitar is expressive and melodic, you know, it’s as good as any instrument that gives you a melody,” Kemp said.

“And playing with Nick (Mason) is about that. I was able to take my influences very far, from Mick Ronson (guitarist David Bowie) and guitarists like that and express, and I became known for that, so it’s definitely gone on this album.

It’s hard not to refer to Kemp’s work with his most famous band, but “Ahead Of The Game” is somewhat reminiscent of Spandau: tasty pop rock, a hint of a romantic new sound, with great guitar work. rhythm punctuated by melodic guitar solo pieces. Kemp himself described this song, and the sound of his new solo effort is, “A saucer of secrets and Spandau ballet, put them in a blender and you’ll get ‘In Solo’.

But Kemp made sure to make it clear that he is talking about the present and moving forward. When asked if he was the type to put songs away for future albums, he quickly answered “no”.

Kemp said most of the songs on “In Solo” are brand new, adding that “The only track from this album written over two years ago is“ The Feet Of Mercury. ”I don’t put the songs in order. mean, i did it in the good old days when i was writing for spandau, but i wouldn’t use them. it’s kinda dated for me. i have no excitement for a song if it’s very old .

Describing the themes he picked up for “In Solo,” Kemp said, “These songs I’m giving you today are pieces from me. They’re about me. They’re autobiographical, and I don’t. not done that with Spandau Ballet.

On this point, the excellent track “Waiting For The Band” comes to mind. A track that now looks like a young Kemp remembering his formative years.

There’s also “Too Much,” an introspective piano song that showcases Kemp’s premier singer-songwriter talents.

So soon, Kemp is already halfway to another new album. Testament that this singer-songwriter wants to move forward and not look back.

“I take the guitar every day. I go to the piano every day. If I feel depressed about something, this is the instrument I go to. So, yeah, that still means a lot to me.

We’re curious though: is he at least open to the idea of ​​Spandau Ballet getting back together?

“I don’t think that’s going to happen now,” said the guy who wrote “True”.

“I just think there are too many difficulties every time we try to get back together,” he explained, before saying, “I prefer to make that effort to try to be creative myself. . “

So true.