"...12 masterpieces on the peculiarities of love" (Five stars)

In 1962 Wayne Mason formed his first band the Southern Auroras with school friends in Upper Hutt. Since then he's become best known for the creative musical input he has brought to The Warratahs, Rockinghorse and The Fourmyula. Indeed his best known tune, Nature, recorded with The Fourmyula in 1969 was voted a few years back as New Zealand's best loved song.

Sense Got Out is Mason's third album since going solo in 1994. On first listening it sounded subdued, with many songs having a laid back pop feel. But repeat listenings revealed an extraordinary subtlety to the music and the collection of articulate lyrics. No longer does Mason have to rely on do-do-do's or de-de-de's to pad out lyrics as he did in Nature.

His songwriting has matured after 46 years in the music industry and almost sounds as it it's become Second Nature. Songs like "Centreline", "Side of the House" and "Another Day" contain deeply personal lyrics with an emotional intensity seemingly at odds with Mason's fragile delivery.

"Plates" compares human relationships with tectonic plates that fracture irrevocably and is sung against a haunting percussive rhythm.

Mason and his backing band of Clinton Brown, Greg Turner and Richard Te One have crafted 12 masterpieces on the peculiarities of love.