'Unbroken' indeed, and all credit to him.

You have to admit that the new album from Coney Hatch legend Carl Dixon has an appropriate title. A few years ago, he was basically hit by a flying car in an accident and severely injured. But after an inspirational recovery he's still here and still in the game; 'Unbroken' indeed, and all credit to him.

I'm one of those people that picked up Coney Hatch's 'Friction' back in the eighties and thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I haven't really followed them or Dixon since. Those hoping for something that harks back to those glory days will be... pleasantly surprised!

'Unbroken' is an unashamedly retro AOR release that will put a smile on fan's faces without too much effort. From the opening 'Can't Get A Melody' to the closing title-track, the album is filled with upbeat, fun Melodic Rock with Dixon's oddly attractive vocals crushing it as usual.

It's great to see a song called 'Summer Nights' as that's usually the mark of a proper AOR record and this one is exactly the sort of lively track that goes with that name. There are a couple of slower numbers, and although they're not the best, they're still pretty good to my ears. The rest weave between upbeat and more bass-driven songs. One thing's for sure, there are no duffers on this release.

All in all, 'Unbroken' sees Dixon working well with Phantom 5's Robert Boebel to produce an album that is absolutely spot-on for fans of his previous work. There are plenty of tracks to sing-along to, it has a sweet production and there's nothing that will annoy your Nan. This is exactly what I would have expected and wanted to come from Carl Dixon, and you can't say fairer than that.

Alan Holloway