Tyketto Dig in Deep and produce a gem

THE first time I came across the fine pipes of Mr Danny Vaughn was when he was lending his talents to the wonderfully shambolic Mr Pete Way's side project Waysted. Waysted were supporting Status Quo at a now closed Belfast Leisure Centre. In front of a packed audience Mr Vaughn won a lot of admirers, not least with performances of Heaven Tonight and How The West Won.

Since the 1986 release of Save Your Prayers with Waysted the versatile vocalist has appeared on 15 albums, the latest of which 'Dig In Deep' is currently on release, and yet again it proves that Danny appears happiest in a band setting.

Dig In Deep offers no real surprises in terms of what you'd expect from Tyketto, AOR with panache, but with a subtle understanding of the components that make up a truly great hard rock album.

Faithless, as an opener sets the tone for what is to come, a dynamic track punctuated with guitars set at the right level of riffage and solos; while Danny displays a range that many an upcoming singer would envy.

And there is a maturity about Dig In Deep, that suggests, lyrically, a reflective tone, exemplified by 'The Fight Left In Me' and the title track, which unfortuately for a great track, dips in the chorus's play-out despite a fantastic pre-chorus build-up

Minor quibbles, however, can be identified: 'Battle Lines' sounds a little predictable and a touch schamltzy. But that is to nit-pick.

'Here's Hoping It Hurts' is a tour de force fuck you to relationship killers and 'This Is How We Say Goodbye' is an album closer that comes from the hearty; a folksy coda. The narrative of love could also be read in the lyric "...family is what matters most of all" as an emphasis of how a band setting - and Tyketto in particular - is where the members, and the trio of original members Brooke St James, Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Clayton especially, can be at ease to produce damn fine tunes.

One can only hope that is not how Tyketto wants to say goodbye.

There is too much talent in this band, and too much talent in the pipes of Mr Vaughn for Tyketto to have this as a swansong. Dig in Deep is currently on release worldwide - fans of hard rock, only two words...Buy It!