Album Review: Dan Sultan - Killer

This new album provides another strong platform to show off Dan Sultan's skills.

Added to his developing character is a great chorus of backing singers - taking the album dangerously (and wonderfully) close to Motown at times. Opener Drover has been described as a 'prequel' to From Little Things Big Things Grow, a deceptively catchy protest song finally unearthing some of the most important acts of defiance in the country's history.

Singles Kingdom and Hold It Together provide a great sense of the album's overall energy and kick, but are by no means the sum of what Sultan can offer. For a change of pace, take in the swoon-iness of Cul-De-Sac and Fire Under Foot. Both are simply arranged, carried by the character of Sultan's voice and mostly basic acoustics - just gorgeous. Follow this with the impassioned Magnetic and Over In Time (both introspective, though upbeat, rather than big ballad), and to end Easier Man jumps almost directly into gospel - a track that's almost impossible not to hit 'repeat' on immediately after it's done.

In the hands of a lesser talent there would be times where the album's themes would just march straight into Coma FM, but with Sultan it's impossible to be complacent. Killer, indeed.