This album’s big question is: can the former frontman of Crowded House, famous for such introspective ballads as “Don’t Dream It’s Over” and “Better Be Home Soon”, rock out on his own? Try Whistling This answers this with a resounding yes – and a few introspective ballads just to keep the diehard fans happy. The first single from the album, “Sinner”, is a gently jazzy ballad with some very cool vocals (Neil harmonizing with his own lead vocals), but my favorites on the album are “Faster Than Light”, a very Crowded House-ish acoustic guitar ballad, and the very unusual “Twisty Bass”, a rocking number with acoustic and electronic elements and a dark, driving sound which begs for a Nine Inch Nails-style video. The title track, “Try Whistling This”, was a much more subdued song than I expected given the challenge inherent in its title, and “Dream Date” has a very retro sound, reminiscent of some of the tracks on the Finn 
Brothers album. If anything, the multifaceted Finn Brothers project seems to be the greatest influence on this album, rather than anything Crowded House or Split Enz have done in the past. While I have some concerns about whether or not Neil Finn will ever attain anything greater than a cult following as a solo artist, I truly enjoyed his first effort.
- Last One Standing (3:04)
- Souvenir (3:41)
- King Tide (4:32)
- Try Whistling This (4:27)
- She Will Have Her Way (3:55)
- Sinner (4:25)
- Twisty Bass (5:09)
- Loose Tongue (4:12)
- Truth (4:03)
- Astro (3:45)
- Dream Date (4:51)
- Faster Than Light (4:22)
- Addicted (4:22)
Released by: Sony / Work
Release date: 1998
Total running time: 54:46
