"[1] It was the first solo album in eleven years, in which time Stevens had been the lead singer of Noiseworks (1986-1992) and played the role of Judas in the Australian production of Jesus Christ Superstar (1992).

Darryl Mason from Rolling Stone wrote; "Produced by Stevens and Noiseworks' guitarist Stuart Fraser and recorded in just a few weeks with a bunch of good friends, Are U Satisfied could well have been cluttered and self-indulgent.

The record is thick with good, strong songs, mostly about love and relationships, but the music is almost stripped to its bare bones.

It smells pleasantly of Seventies-retro — the kind that artists like Lenny Kravitz are now exploring — funky, riff-driven numbers with peaking swirls of keyboards and boppin' stomp rhythms.

"Burn So Bright" is about the closest this album comes to a ballad, and even so, this song's quiet moments are impaled on hooking, gritty riffs.