• "... And if I ever was to sing it,
It would probably sound like this ... in the morning."

• It had been 35 years since I last went forward as a lead singer. "Back To Scales Tonight", my first album ever (Barclay Records) had long seemed unconvincing to my ears, even though I felt good about some of the writings; my opinion was, listening back a few years later, I had not done justice to them, at least not to the level I was aiming at. Nice try but, either you have it, or you don't. Therefore I went instrumental most of my life, never stopping writing songs, but letting others do the singing and allowing my voice to do only backing vocals here and there.

• So why try again ? Not that I changed my mind one iota, nor that I pretend I've made any progress as a lead. But simply because I realised I had a distinct sound, altogether with a - quite likeable for some - distinct approach and a distinct accent that, even though not fully comfortable with personnally, I felt I should - and I could - live with, if to present my songs in both their original "authentic" format and their intricate realities, before I would let seasoned singers have a go at it, as I did many a time in my life (with Level 42 mostly), and which I clearly intend to carry on doing. Any volunteer ? Be my guest.

• I've been wrestling with that idea for decades, which partially explains the pace of my musical activities. Maybe my stage acting got me more confident, but I've made my mind now, and I'm glad I did. There it is: "In The Morning", a song I've been nurturing for years. The fact is, I had it sung, mixed and ready for release, way before I recorded "Easy Lazy Blues", the instrumental version.

• ** NEW ** Here is my talented friend DavidºF (The Future Paradise) mix, slightly beefed up compared with my deliberate intimate version:

• Stay tuned: more versions to come soon.

• All available on iTunes, Amazon and all major online retailers worldwide. Those youtube videos are just mp3 extracts.