Kevin Ayers was a star back in 1968 when Soft Machine released their first album and although he’s kept a pretty low profile in the U.S. in 2008 he stakes out his comeback terrain with his first new album in nearly fifteen years. Released in the U.S. on the NYC based Gigantic Records, The Unfairground is Ayers at his most melodic and accessible. In addition to appearances by his early Softs band mates, Robert Wyatt and Hugh Hopper, the ten track CD also sports cameos by U.K. rock guitar great Phil Manzanera along with a host of lesser known, yet equally auspicious pop prodigies digging and gigging with their famed idol. The whole thing exudes a B-band aura and the set closing “Run Run Run” sounds like it could have been a hit for Brian Wilson circa 1988. It may be too late for Ayers to conquer the pop charts in the U.S. but The Unfairground is a sublime pop confection to be devoured whole by Ayers fans young and old. www.kevin-ayers.com

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