Kelly's first post-Messengers solo release was the live double CD "Live, May 1992", released in November 1992. AllMusic's Brett Hartenbach noted that Kelly's band had fleshed out his songs in the studio, but he was still able to show "his vignettes of life, love, and the underbelly of both have plenty of power on their own". Kelly had relocated to Los Angeles and signed with Vanguard Records to tour the US as a solo artist. While in Los Angeles he produced fellow Australian Renée Geyer's album "Difficult Woman" (1994). Kelly returned to Australia in 1993 and wrote a collection of lyrics, aptly titled "Lyrics", which opens with a quote from Anton Chekhov: "I don't have what you would call a philosophy or coherent world view so I shall have to limit myself to describing how my heroes love, marry, give birth, die and speak."