Ron Pope & The Nighthawks

Since 2014's Calling Off The Dogs, which Music News described as having a slice of Maroon 5 about it, Ron Pope has evidently been listening to Seventies rock and decided to ditch the pop and dig the rock. There's a hint of Tom Petty about the Nashville based singer's sound now and he's even gone and got his own Heartbreakers in the shape of The Nighthawks.

The difference between this and his previous album is stark, but all the better for it. Singalong opener Southern Cross trundles along like a freight train, and before long you have images of wide open spaces and super-sized cars driving into middle-of-nowhere towns. The Seventies feel sees Lynyrd Skynyrd soundscapes, with the cocaine referencing White River Junction (which also sounds a little like Ocean Colour Scene) and most obviously on the stadium-sized singalong of Take Me Home, with its crowd pleasing chorus. There are delicate moments too, with the open spaces of Lies And Cigarettes and the heart wrenching break-up reflections on Leave You Behind, a winter hit in the waiting.

The album will be accompanied by a film which follows the recording. One Way Ticket also takes in their recent US Tour and takes a look at how an artist can survive in the digital world of 2015. Pope has built a huge online audience through streaming and video plays, while his actual sales are relatively low. He's very much an artist for the modern day - and it's fascinating to see how you can survive without the traditional income streams. Here Pope takes his 2015 business model and wraps it neatly in the sound of 1976.