This month sees the return of melodic rockers Tyketto with their 6th studio album, Closer to the Sun, their first in a decade. The Danny Vaughn-fronted band soar higher than they have gone before.

With 11 rip-roaring tracks, the album highlights everything fans have loved about the band ever since we first heard them back in 1991 with their classic debut ‘Don’t Come Easy’. Bearing in mind that a mind-blowing 35 years have passed since then. The fact that Danny and his merry band are still rockin’ and rollin’ is something that can not be taken away. 

First up is the single ‘Higher Than High’, which, please forgive me, left this reviewer a little cold when it was released last November. Having said that, I can thankfully say that, over time, it has grown on me, and I bet it is a crowd pleaser when played live. 

Then we get ‘Starts with a Feeling’, which, to these ears, reminds me more of Danny Vaughn’s solo output, but come the chorus, it instantly becomes a future Tyketto classic. One thing that is ever-present in anything featuring the dulcet tones of Mr Vaughn is the storytelling that takes you out of the misery of everyday life and transports you to a better place.

Up next is ‘Bad For Good’, which sees the new guitarist, Harry Scott Elliott, with a riff worthy of anything the band did in the ‘90s. The groove is still unmistakably Tyketto. That is one thing this album showcases: which is clearly a band honouring their past while looking to the future. 

The acoustic opening ‘We Rise’ again takes me on a whirlwind journey, which is always a trademark of the band, and when Danny Vaughn starts singing, the chest-thumping chorus is sublime. This is what the fans want from the band, and they deliver in bucketloads. Another hero of this song is Ged Rylands with his exquisite keyboard work.

The honkytonk swagger of ‘Donnowhuddidis’ is for me the only down note on the album, nothing to take away from the musicality on it. But it just doesn’t do anything for me. Compared that to the next track, the amazing title track ‘Closer to the Sun’, and it’s almost like a different band, but that is what I really love about this band, is that even though they might not hit the mark every time, it’s close enough. 

‘Harleys & Indians (Riders in the Sky)’ is up next, but be aware that this song is not on the vinyl version, which is a shame. This song is another example of a mid-paced rocker that rolls along nicely and with some great shoutouts to the greats.

The upbeat rocker that is ‘Hit Me Where It Hurts’ highlights the grooviness that this new line-up of the band are masters of. Harking back to some ‘Strength In Numbers’ era songs. One thing I’ve got to mention is the rhythm section of Chris Childs on Bass and Johnny Dee on Drums, which is tight and perfect. While also letting the songs breathe.

Now the next song up is for me one of the best that this band has ever released, and that is a high claim, considering the impressive back catalogue that Tyketto has released. ‘The Picture’ is just incendiary. Danny Vaughn has rarely sounded this good. You can tell that the band are firing on all cylinders, no more than on this beautiful song.

‘Far and Away’ is another classic example of the acoustic/ based jam before the band kicks in, which is their bread and butter, reminiscent of ‘Sail Away’ from the classic debut. But, hey, if it works, why mess with it? I do like the strings section, which adds some depth to the song.

The final track is rabblerousing ‘The Brave’, which is a fantastic way to end a great album and the musical equivalent of a cliffhanger, to the next album of the great line-up of the band. The decision to record the album at Flip Flop Studios and the legendary Rockfield Studios in Wales proves that the band are thinking ahead and, as always, thinking of the fans who deserve nothing short of perfection. 

Tyketto, with the release of ‘Closer to the Sun’, have achieved what many of their peers strive to: an album that boldly goes above and beyond in the name of musical evolution, all the while remembering where they came from. 

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Author: Dave Prince