And in being fascinated, he continues to fascinate. We talk of our common love of words, his craft of marrying words with melody, and as an aside, the surfacing of the word "mendacity" in the opening track of Jade, "Let It Fly". "I first heard that word used by Burl Ives' character in 'Cat On A Hot Tin Roof'," he confides in a conspiratorial voice, "and I saved it. Hoarded it, actually. I've been waiting eight years to find a place for it in a song. In this one, I finally found its place and it's perfect!"

Mendacity. The spinning of the lie, the fabric of deceit. Its only place in this relentlessly honest artist's life is as the perfect turn of phrase in a thoughtful song. Elsewhere, in "Break the Chain", he sings: "Truth is everything I believe in." Words are cool, he tells me. Kids are cooler. Sharing even just a few of those things across a long-distance telephone line is a window on the world of Corey Hart. Jade is the full 10-storey view.