Shannon Noll (NSW)

Shannon Noll’s everyman appeal lies in his honesty. He possesses the knack of striking a chord with legions of music fans, jacking into a pure emotion that’s both his own and instantly relatable. Fourth album, A Million Suns,stays faithful to his classic rock roots while ramping up the pace like never before. Three years since Shannon hit No.3 in the ARIA album chart with Turn It Up, and despite having clocked up 10 consecutive top 10 ARIA chart singles, the country boy from Condobolin, NSW remains unaffected by success and committed to his hard-working rock ethic. “I’m a knockabout bloke, not so different to most people,” he points out. “It shows that the average bloke can achieve his dreams if he tries.” First single ‘Switch Me On’ sees Shannon hooking up with Good Charlotte’s Benji Madden to write a driving missive of redemption through love. In a fortuitous example of life coming full circle, Shannon used to play Good Charlotte songs when earning his stripes in a cover band many moons ago. He again drew on his dive-bar band days for ‘Til We Say So’, a track that’s pumped with fighting talk. “I’m a massive Living End fan and we used to close our set with ‘Prisoner of Society’,” he recalls. “This has a similar message: ‘It aint over ’til we say so’. The bouncers would say, ‘Thanks a lot, mate, now you’ve fired them all up just as we’ve got to kick them out!’” The anthemic ethos continues with title track ‘Million Suns’ – a homage to the Aussie summer and the nostalgia packaged in with it. It’s a dramatic track that really brings Shannon’s voice to the fore. ‘Life In Stereo’ is an unapologetic party number, one to put on when getting ready to go out, and then crank up when you get there. It makes cheeky references to previous Noll hits – you could never accuse Shannon of taking himself too seriously. Songwriter Adam Reily, with whom Shannon wrote 2005 hit ‘Lift’ contributes ‘My Place in the Line’, about a man finding his role in life, and ‘Rewind’, which pleads remorse over past mistakes. “’Rewind’ is one of the most beautifully crafted songs I’ve ever heard,” Shannon offers, singing a few lines. “The lyrics are unbelievable, with metaphors for everything.” Shannon reunited with country star Brooke McClymont to write ‘Would It Be So Bad’, about the need to take the time to appreciate the simple things in life. “Everyone’s so caught up with running around like a chook with its head cut off,” Shannon elaborates. “Would it be so bad if we dropped everything and didn’t come back?”