The Dunwells -‘Follow the Road’ (Playing In Traffic/Concord)

It’s funny, I really wasn’t sure that I was going to be bothered with this album as I worked through my review pile, but there’s an honesty and openness about this album that actually makes it rather appealing when it comes on.

The Dunwells hail from Leeds but they wear their music love on their sleeves and that love is Americana’s regular clothes of a blend of rock, folk and country. Sure they sing in American accents, but that’s hardly a hanging offence, after all, how many British bands have? Opening with the title track, over the course of the eleven tracks here there’s a warmness that has inevitably seen them gather comparisons to M*mf*rd *nd S*ns but this album is strong and decent. And even stripped down on tracks like ‘Oh Lord’ and ‘Saving Grace’ it’s strong enough to keep it together. Their debut album is called Blind Sighted Faith in America so this is the British version, which seems to hang together pretty nicely to these ears.

Sure there are lots of bands doing this – but I think it’s the Dunwells I want to hear doing it.

The boys dunwell (sorry, weak, but I couldn’t resist!)

***1/2

Follow The Road is released on July 1 on Playing In Traffic/Concord via Decca.