After his adolescence in
Canada, Howard Jones returned to England to study music. His work with
Jazz and Funk groups proved fruitless, but switching to Synth Pop secured his fortunes. The
UK No.1 Human's Lib (1984) evoked an awkward collision of Gary Numan and John Denver, with synth sheen disguising mature lyrics.
When aided by mime artist Jed Hoile, he attracted loyal teens with 1983's hits 'New Song' and 'What Is Love?'. His Dream Into Action (1985) was similarly successful, notably the hit 'Things Can Only Get Better' and melancholic piano ballad 'No One Is To Blame'.
His evolution from Synth Pop to limp Pop proved less popular, however: One To One (1986), Cross That Line (1989) and In The Running (1992) all undersold. Not put off, he continued with Working In The Backroom (1993), Live Acoustic America (1995) and Angels And Lovers (1997)- mostly on his own Dtox label.
Source: www.howardjones.com