The Dunwells "Blind Sighted Faith

Playing In Traffic Records, 2012

A great start from Leeds harmony singing rockers

• A solid start leads to track 2, the title track ‘Blind Sighted Faith’ and bloody hell suddenly we are reviewing the feral child of the conjugation of Bad Company and The Eagles. There are chords and harmonies, suspect lyrics and a great lead vocal. What’s next – ‘Hand that Feeds’ – is Strokes-lite with it’s insistent rhythm but those harmonies take it somewhere interesting along with the very Kossoff guitar figure. You could drive miles to this.

• ‘Only Me’ is a moment of introspection; it starts like Ryan Adams and as the voices come in it could be the new Dodgy album, but better as the production introduces a stark piano to leaven the sweetness. It does have a 10cc loveliness to it and when the guitar solo arrives all the couples in the room are swaying and lighters are aloft. This is a cracking, mature debut.

  ‘Elisabeth’ is a little by the numbers but still very very listenable, but ‘Follow the Road’ will become an anthem if there is any justice in this world. Planet Rock would kill for this. Steve Earle meets mainstream commercialism building to an almost, whisper it, Boston-like high. These guys should be superstars in America where the spaces in the music and their take on the AOR of the seventies would be celebrated. The whole album is brimming with stuff that makes smiles. A great debut and please note no reference has been made to the artists performing in an excellent way! Ah alright then - they dunwell! Very well!