How Am I Doing So Far? (Bonus Track Version)

Album Review

With three sterling solo albums under his belt, and a box set rounding the trilogy into one convenient, budget-priced block, it would be hard to imagine Martin Gordon's profile rising any higher, at least on the new release racks. But along comes How Am I Doing So Far? all the same, and anybody glancing at the track listing and assuming that it's just a best-of digest of the other three CDs would be doing themselves a major disservice. Of course, that's all it is, really, but the simple act of mixing the three together, then extracting a single disc's worth of highlights, brings a new context to some of Gordon's finest recent compositions. Four bonus tracks, meanwhile, include two wholly unreleased numbers ("Girls Fight Over Me" and "Next Big Thing,") plus a snazzy remix and a fabulous demo. Elsewhere, we're reminded of Gordon's long-standing fascination for the Beatles ("Every Little Thing" joins "Dear Prudence" (from his Jet days) and "Norwegian Wood" (Radio Stars) in his canon of fab Fabs covers), but the meat of the matter remains the wall of sheer wonder that Gordon has erected across a clutch of truly extraordinary songs. Indeed, whether you already own the parent albums or not, How Am I Doing So Far? really should be the next big thing on your shopping list.