Danny & The Champions of the World - Hearts & Arrows
Featuring a new line-up, produced by Tony Poole and mixed by Ted Hutt (who has worked with The Gaslight Anthem), Hearts & Arrows is Danny & The Champions of the World's follow-up to 2010's Streets of Our Time.
It features a shift in emphasis for the band, as they lean more towards a rock n' roll sound rather than their earlier folk influences.
The result is a great rock record that has a feeling of familiarity and nostalgia whilst being fresh and, at times, very exciting.
Some songs, like the title track, have a hint of Manic Street Preachers to their sound, whilst unmistakably being Danny & The Champions of the World.
Fans of their earlier work need not worry, as 'Soul In The City' still has a bit of a folk, acoustic-driven influence despite the mid-tempo rocker feel to it.
It probably won't be much of a surprise to anyone who listens to this album that Bruce Springsteen is an influence on the band, as it's definitely apparent across Hearts & Arrows.
'Brothers In The Night' is a beautifully nostaglic track that succeeds in paying tribute to the Boss' influence on the band, without being dated.
The tender mood of the album continues with acoustic ballad 'Too Tough To Cry', a sensitive song that shows a deeper emotion to the band's music.
At its roots, Hearts & Arrows is a rock n' roll album, and a suitably beautiful love letter to the genre and its history.
The album ends on a low-key note with acoustic track 'Walk With Me'. It's a stunning end to a brilliantly nostalgic-sounding, but fresh, record.
Female First - Alistair McGeorge