Album Review: Peter Black - No Dangerous Gods In Tunnel

Considering the year The Hard-Ons' Peter 'Blackie' Black has had (for those living under a rock, he was assaulted whilst driving his cab in Sydney and suffered serious injuries), it's almost hard to approach this release and judge it on the songs alone. After all he's been through, and the support everyone has shown him, who really wants to be the person to say this album doesn't shape up? Luckily, through honing his many years of musical experience into twelve tunes, Blackie has ensured no such situation arises.

Admittedly, it takes a little time for the softly sung, stripped-back acoustic numbers to stick, but once they do, you'll have numerous chorus melodies in your head for days. And with nothing for the lyrics to hide behind or be buried under, these 12 songs provide an intimate look into the inner workings of the musical mastermind. While it's a solo record the collaborations featured really take certain songs to the next level. Strings on Algebra & Calculus, Bus Catcher and Dumb Dumb, performed by Samantha Fonti, help drive vocal melodies to a level he wouldn't be able to take them on his own. Blackie has taken a lesson from a certain Gotye hit and Cloud Nine sees him swapping vocals with Michele Madden – a match made in heaven. The only notable downfall is Blackie's harmonies are sometimes too confronting in the mix and every now and then it distorts the intimacy the record is trying to achieve.

Overall, No Dangerous Gods In Tunnel is not only symbolic of how strong Blackie is, but testament to how powerful the Australian music community can be.