Dante Fox - 'Six String Revolver'

A classic collection of cult British AOR.

Dante Fox are notorious for having long gaps between albums, therefore it was a shock when 'Six String Revolver' was announced hot on the heels of the amazing 'Breathless' opus, but as a long-time fan of "The Fox" I was obviously delighted. This album is a collection of re-recorded and re-worked songs from their first two albums with five songs from 1995's 'Under Suspicion' and five from 1999's 'The Fire Within'.

I tend to be very sceptical about re-recorded releases; sometimes they feel unneeded, and in many cases, turn out to be pointless, but there's the odd occasion when they are beneficial and noticeably change or improve things, like Newman's re-recorded debut for example. Thankfully, 'Six String Revolver' falls into the latter category.

These songs have been dusted off and polished up to give them a brighter, more current production and style. The uninitiated would see this album as a natural successor to 'Breathless' because the band have updated these songs to blend even more seamlessly with their current sound and delivery. The most instant and obvious change is the vastly superior production, but it is also clear from the get-go that these songs have been worked on again from the bare bones, with some songs featuring minor subtle changes and others featuring dramatically re-worked guitar riffs or other instrumentation.



The keyboards, for example, are far more intricate than before; less fluffy perhaps, but with a few more hooks than previously recorded. My long-time love affair with the originals does make me sometimes yearn for the rawer versions, but there's no denying that these new offerings are vastly superior in every way – sentimentality can be a bit of backwards drag!

As always, Sue Willett's vocals are warm, satisfying, comforting and powerfully emotive. She is without doubt one of the most emotive singers I know, and her performance gives these songs an added emotional punch that many other singers could only ever dream of emulating.

If you own these songs already you still need to purchase 'Six String Revolver' because it's amazing what Willetts and founder member/guitarist Tim Manford have done revisiting these songs. Keeping them familiar and sticking to each song's core essence, but also improving on them with every alteration intended to give the song a greater impact.

If you're new to Dante Fox, then only a fool would miss purchasing this classic collection of cult British AOR – now with added panache!

Paul Woodward