Album Review: Hilltop Hoods - Drinking From The Sun, Walking Under Stars Restrung

Composer Jamie Messenger took a less-is-more approach to this collaboration between Hilltop Hoods and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, shaping his arrangements to the songs, complementing rather than dominating them.

That they fit neatly is testament to the versatility of the songs, which were selected for this treatment from Hoods' two most recent albums — strings and choir augment the pathos of Through The Dark, the ebullience of Won't Let You Down, the ballsiness of Rattling The Keys To The Kingdom. The effect is illuminating rather than transformative, and the album is best regarded as a curiosity for completists, or a compelling commercial for the forthcoming national tour.