Dan Hartland “Great Novels” (Independent, 2018)

It’s always good to come across homegrown talent which is what is firmly on show here with the first full length record from Dan Hartland. Intelligent lyrics, hummable melodies and some rather fancy top notch guitar playing all add up to a very listenable eleven track album. The title track ‘Great Novels’ is, as the title hints, all about writing and inspiration accompanied solely by Hartland’s guitar which on this track in particular is top drawer and indicative of the overall folk acoustic style.
An example of the quality of lyrics on show can be found in ‘Passing St Marys’  – just check out “war is easier to symbolise than peace my love because it is predicated on so many factors” – there is some philosophy going on there for sure.  Other tracks worth specific mention are ‘The Usual Mistake’ which is a clever take on relationships where sticking around waiting for things to get better is as the title suggests, a mistake and 5-7 a thoughtful song that accentuates the hardships of the working life, the loss of jobs but also the pride in giving an honest days work and of producing a quality product.