We’ve Found You, Danni W!

Right you lot, listen up; I’m fully aware this debut album, Lost to be Found, from Swindon’s Danni W has been out, what, a fortnight nearly now? Reason why I’ve not mentioned it prior, aside from being a busy boy, is I had to listen to it a few times because it’s undoubtedly feelgood pop and best defined as a “grower…..”

Meaning that, as all the best pop does, it becomes more appealing the more you listen. This is why commercial radio stations are passed dollar by record companies to keep the same current tunes on a loop until you’re forced to like them, otherwise you run the risk of spontaneous human combustion!

Though, while this album justifies why Danni should be on said loop, she really doesn’t need her songs to forcibly thrust down your throat; you should like this because there’s nothing to dislike about it.

Another valid reason why I’ve avoided its appraisal until now, and perhaps also why it’s uniquely beguiling is twofold. Firstly, unusually for pop it’s incomparable. Every wannabe pop star cites a major influence and strives to sound akin, but while I’m sure Danni has hers, I’m unable to pinpoint a definite phrase like Swindon’s answer to Whitney, or Kylie or Janet, or anyone really. It is, Danni and solely one of a kind. My only hope here is one day not too far away I’ll review someone else with the line, so-and-so’s answer to Danni W!

If I had to cite a clear influence it might well vocally be Maria Carey, though this could stem from how I came to discover Danni when she sent a Christmas song, All I Dream Of, for our christmassy podcast. My notion of the “grower” idea certainly weighed in with this one. I was hooked after a few listens; there was something strictly All I Want For Christmas about it …but away with this yule talk, it’s summer and I don’t wish to mention the C word again!

Second reason is the sheer joy in her voice, confident in the spotlight but with a genuine enthusiasm you simply cannot fake. Her music sounds mainstream but is impossible also to slot into an era, timeless pop which will enthuse all ages, without the need, if feels, to go with the status quo and add trending riffs or retrospective gimmicks. It proficiently rides a generalised sound, and Danni laps up every second of it.

No spoilers here today, but at times Danni handles some tough subject matter too, topics not usually covered in pop, much less with the clarity and precision here. To start with, the opener, If I Tell You Truth, has a blues edge with an easy listening rolling piano riff akin to the crooners of the fifties, but as with all tunes on offer here, there’s freshness about this sound which delights.

With a guise of Paula Abdul eighties pop, the second tune bounces on a financially hard times theme, the third similarly but with a “finding yourself” concept. Yet by the fourth tune in, one which is reflected in an enchanting piano ballad of lesser tempo, Who Am I, you know you’re in good hands, and this one is sublimely executed leaving you dripping for more from these wonderful three minute heroes.

Back to the upbeat, Ignorance is Bliss is where we find the unusual content in contemporary pop, a political-social commentary wrapped in an almighty crashing and building pop tune, this works possibly the best tune for the balance between upbeat pop and these lounge jazz blues ballads. Tricky subject matter seems to build from here, social media and digital romance and fears of being the odd one out get Danni’s makeover, melancholy apologetic notes over a piano lounge jazz ballad, followed by a confidence builder and I find myself contemplating Gabrielle as a new influence to possibly cite, but maybe I should have just asked Danni rather than clutching at straws, because her sound is stylised and distinctive.

It ends kind of like our Christmas number, bouncy and jolly, an overall take on the whole album, even if the subject sometimes isn’t. Though this one is on impending love, and well, that could go either way! One thing is for sure, Danni W has put a lot of work into this, it shows, and she’s seemingly lapping up every minute of it. That joy is felt across this universally-appealing album, and damn, if it doesn’t rub off on you equally to the beguiling nature of the sound too!

If you were ever lost, as your album title suggests, Danni W, I, for one, am glad I found you!

LinkTree to Danni W