Luke Leighfield is back with his fifth release, aptly titled ‘V’. The album was recorded in Ohio with renowned producer Jim Wirt. It is an album full of great pop hooks and outstanding production, that will be loved by Luke’s already loyal fan base. This release was so well anticipated, he managed to raise over £13,000 towards the costs of making the album the best it could be.

Album opener ‘Begin Again’ sets the bar high for the rest of the album. From the very first snare hit, the sheer quality of the production and recording leaves you staggered, it provides the perfect sound for Luke Leighfield’s brand of pop rock. ‘Begin Again’ sounds almost like more relaxed version of Deaf Havana on their latest record with its understated chorus and simple structure. Later in the track, the addition of tasteful strings works extremely well, staying just the right side of sounding like Elbow.

’Fading Fast’ is another 3 and a half minutes of pop perfection. I’m almost willing summer to appear just to listen to this record every day. What sets Luke Leighfield apart from other solo acts is the interesting instrumentation above just the usual acoustic guitar. For instance, ‘Fading Fast’ features both keys and an electric guitar solo. There is no doubting the simplicity of the songs, but there is enough here to engage the listener time and time again.

’Fool for Love’ is the lead single from V’ and it sums up the album perfectly. Again a mix of keys and electric guitar flourishes provide the backdrop for the simple yet effective lyrics. The video has racked up nearly 2000 views in less than a month, which is testament to both Luke’s popularity and his excellent songwriting. Another highlight of this album is ‘Oh, Canada’ which features a horn section of all things! Again though, Luke Leighfield manages to pull it off perfectly.

Sceptics may claim that ‘V’ is nothing new. Granted Luke Leighfield is not reinventing the wheel here, but what he has done is provide a near perfect album of pop hits that will be in my car CD player all summer and beyond. The simple songwriting coupled with the expert production of Jim Wirt, has resulted in a stunning collection of songs. There is plenty here for rock fans to get their teeth into as well such as ‘Number My Days’ or ‘Battle Within Myself’ but lets face it who doesn’t love a bit of brilliant pop music?

4/5

’V’ by Luke Leighfield is out now on Got Got Need Records.

Luke Leighfield links: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Bandcamp

Words by Andy McGonigle (@andyjmcg87)