Bernard Fanning’s debut solo album begins with a confession: “Sure was a hell of a mistake I made, but I sure am glad that I made it,” he sings over the pastoral 12-string folk of “Thrill is Gone.” “No way for a grown man to behave, more the act of a teen opportunist.” For a man whose lyrics when fronting Australian rock band Powderfinger were flavored regularly with social and political commentary, it’s a strikingly personal note on which to begin. But then given that the album was recorded during a particularly dark time in the singer’s life, having split with his partner of 12 years during the writing and losing his older brother to cancer several years earlier, Fanning had demons to exorcise. Recorded largely at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios while Powderfinger was on hiatus, Tea & Sympathy veers away from that band’s alternative rock in favor of more earthy tones, with country, folk, and bluegrass the dominant colors, topped off with a dash of classic rock (“Which Way Home?”). “Wash Me Clean” is a meditation on the changing nature of life and the idea of starting over—a fitting sentiment for a man exploring new musical frontiers.