A "mad mixtape" is how Jimi Goodwin describes Odludek. Filtering a lifetime of influences into 10 songs, the Doves frontman's debut album bears all the marks of a musician unleashed, freed from the constraints of band diplomacy and allowed to indulge whatever ideas come to mind.
Which can go one of two ways, of course. Fortunately, the Cheshire native is confident and experienced enough to create something that stays far, far away from self-indulgent excess.
Not that it was easy. Goodwin, 43, has made music with Jez and Andy Williams since the early 1990s, first as dance group Sub Sub before their regeneration as Doves. His initial impulse was to work with a host of guests. Instead,channelling his inner virtuoso, Odludek (Polish for loner or pilgrim) is performed almost entirely by Goodwin.
Perhaps inevitably – nay unavoidably, as Goodwin's syrupy rasp is one of British rock's most recognisable voices – several songs (notably Didsbury Girl and Oh! Whiskey) are similar to Dove's expansive, sky-reaching sound. Odludek finds its own personality on the more off-kilter tunes that juxtapose unlikely sources.
Live Like a River fuses rave and rock, while the frantic centrepiece Man vs Dingo is a melting pot of cheesy disco, blaring brass and guitar feedback. Both turn out much better than they probably should. Keep My Soul in Song opens with Goodwin getting his nicotine fix before tripping off into a gorgeous piano and brushed drum lounge number.
Hope , meanwhile, has the same broad stroke anthem quality of fellow northerners and old friends Elbow. And following Goodwin's recent appearance on Elbow's The Take Off and Landing of Everything, Guy Garvey returns the favour by co-writing the music-hall drinking song Panic Tree.
Meticulously produced and thoroughly melodic, Odludek is less about confounding people's expectations than showcasing Goodwin's own undervalued talents – of which, on this evidence, there are many. jimigoodwin.com
Download: Didsbury Girl, Man vs Dingo, Lonely at the Drop
