British rock group Hunter & the Bear release their debut album, Paper Heart. The band were brought up on a heavy diet of rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd and have supported Eric Clapton, Van Morrison and Simple Minds on tour. The album is a collection of songs about people. Whether it’s those they’ve met on the road, their friends/family or even themselves, it’s an album of songs about the desires, dreams and shortcomings that reside within us all with more than enough high-energy, powerhouse riffs to keep rock purists satisfied...

Paper Heart is a wonderfully retro Rock album that has its roots firmly in the Country genre.

Of the album's 10 songs (36 min, 22 sec) for me, the standout track is the subtle, beautifully mellow 'Won't You Ever Come Home' - a song that will rattle around in your head for days afterwards. Also of note is the catchy 'Nickajack'.

It's a lovingly crafted album, with the only slight issue I had being that the final mix sounded a little tinny when listened to through speakers. However it's fine through headphones. This isn't really an issue is you can change the bass and treble settings manually on whatever equipment you're listening to it on.

7

Nick Smithson