Missy Higgins On A Clear Night

After the rousing success of her 2004 debut, The Sound of White, singer/songwriter Missy Higgins set to work on her follow-up album. Initially, this meant six months in the remote atmosphere of Broome, Western Australia, writing songs inspired by her surroundings (“Going North”, “Steer”) and broken relationships (“Peachy”, “Secret”). Higgins added to this corpus while on tour in America, giving 2007’s On a Clear Night more of a guitar-driven sound compared to its predecessor’s heavy use of piano—mainly because she had the instrument closer to hand while on the road. The album began to take shape under the production of L.A.-based Mitchell Froom, who drew upon his Crowded House connections to get Neil Finn contributing some guitar and backing vocals. The result was a relatable collection of pop-rock tunes led by Higgins’ distinctive voice, perfect for pondering existence while cradling a cup of tea or having a good cry over lost love. For the latter purpose, mournful break-up track “Where I Stood” remains the album’s stand-out, having gained traction at the time with syncs on shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Friday Night Lights and One Tree Hill.