Danny & The Champions Of The World - Hearts & Arrows (Album Review)
Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Written by James Ball
It’s always nice to allow a little Americana into your living room. Danny and the Champions of the World, despite being mostly London based, are not releasing music synonymous with our shores, but that’s ok, I can forgive them for that since this offering, 'Hearts and Arrows', happens to be very good.
Offering a rockier selection of tracks than previously, Danny and his new Champs (as the lineup has significantly changed since 2010's 'Streets of our Time'), still manage to leap between folk rock and straight up country without ever settling properly into either. Which is good, because it keeps each song fresh and interesting. Take the title track 'Hearts and Arrows', for example, it’s less Eagles and more Bon Jovi in many ways. Fast, energetic, and powerful vocals make it a strong contender for best song on the album already. People who used to listen to Danny Wilson in Grand Drive will not recognise this album in the slightest.
I mentioned The Eagles already, and a lot of this sounds like a proper, true update to them. None of the awfulness that was 'Long Road out of Eden', but the good stuff. It’s not a ripoff in any way though, just plenty of acoustic strumming, plenty of deep, heartfelt lyrics, and plenty of outright damn good tunes mean that 'Hearts and Arrows' should, if all was right with the world, become a cult classic. Sadly, the UK aren’t really suited for this kind of album, but if this saw a US release the place would be eating out the palms of their hands.
So it’s rocky, it’s fun and it’s generally a credit to music. I would go as far as saying that this collection of heartfelt, and entirely genuine tracks is actually superb. However, just to throw a spanner in the works, I have to point out issues, and there’s only one biggie. 'Too Tough to Cry' is a slightly forced ballad where the vocals are just too loud, drowning out the more delicate nature of the song. It just throws the whole thing off balance a little. It’s not a terminal issue as the rest of the album is excellent, but it’s instantly noticeable. As a result, it’s almost laughable, at least until the band turn the volume up and more layers get added, and then it starts to feel right. Conversely, album closer 'Walk With Me' is the albums second ballad and it’s utterly mesmerising. Vulnerable, careful and deeply emotional, it’s a stunning way to finish this album. Oh, and as an aside, “I’ve seen people come together. I’ve seen people pulled apart”, from 'On the Street' is also one of the best lyrics I’ve heard all year, proving that this album is more than about the tunes. The songs are complete and, more importantly than anything else, they’re entirely honest.
This collection of eleven tracks are being released at the perfect time too. This is ideal outdoor listening. Each song, from the faster rock-tinged tracks down to the slower more alt-country fused ones are all ideal for the car journey to wherever you’re going. It’s also ideal for providing the soundtrack to your barbeque, and if you’re lucky enough to catch them at a festival this year, then do so because I can tell right now it’ll be one of the best sets of the weekend. Tracks like 'Ghosts in the Wire' and 'You Don’t Know (My heart is in the Right Place)' are destined to become new anthems and you all deserve to be in the audience.
So has Danny actually collected a motley crew of bona fide World Champions yet? Not quite. But based on this album and the sheer quality on offer here, they’re heading up the list of contenders pretty sharpish. A truly remarkable effort well worth each and every repeated listen.
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Offering a rockier selection of tracks than previously, Danny and his new Champs (as the lineup has significantly changed since 2010's 'Streets of our Time'), still manage to leap between folk rock and straight up country without ever settling properly into either. Which is good, because it keeps each song fresh and interesting. Take the title track 'Hearts and Arrows', for example, it’s less Eagles and more Bon Jovi in many ways. Fast, energetic, and powerful vocals make it a strong contender for best song on the album already. People who used to listen to Danny Wilson in Grand Drive will not recognise this album in the slightest.
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