An ephemeral Australian dance-pop group firmly rooted in post-disco R&B, I'm Talking nonetheless covered a lot of stylistic ground from their 1983 formation through their 1987 split. Saxophonist Ian Cox, guitarist Robert Goodge, and bassist Barbara Hogarth started the band following the breakup of Essendon Airport. Rather than continue playing unorthodox punk-funk that would have been at home on hip underground labels such as ZE and 99, the trio opted to go in a comparatively commercial direction with the addition of keyboardist Stephen Charlesworth, drummer Cameron Newman, and vocalists Suzanne Abeyratne (aka Zan) and Kate Ceberano. Signed to Regular Records, distributed in Australia at the time by WEA, the band eased across spring-loaded pop-funk, pure R&B balladry, and freestyle with a bright synthesis of played and programmed instrumentation. I'm Talking released a handful of singles and some soundtrack work during 1984 and 1985, a phase highlighted by "Trust Me," "Lead the Way," and their cover of Rose Royce's "Love Don't Live Here Anymore," all of which registered on the ARIA chart. These releases were followed by the 1986 album Bear Witness. Produced by Fred Maher (Material, Scritti Politti) and Martyn Webster (Anne Clark, ABC), it reached number 15 on the ARIA albums chart, bolstered by the Top Ten singles "Do You Wanna Be?" and "Holy Word." Within a year, however, the band had split after a series of lineup changes. Abeyratne and Ceberano released solo recordings, while other members continued separately and together in varying outlets. Bear Witness was remastered and expanded in 2018. ~ Andy Kellman