reviews

Danny Ward ... is obviously passionate about his music: respectful of the past, while more than having a handle on the present, his debut collection clearly reflecting a multitude of influences that converge to create a highly listenable opus of rich textures and assured vocal performances.

Lewis Dene, DMC Update Album of the Week
full review

Smooth music for cats with an open mind. It's time to turn on, tune in and dubble drop out.

Brought up on the jazz of Art Blakey and Miles Davis but spending many nights as a youngster on the dancefloor of the legendary Hacienda in Manchester or in local reggae dances/blues and hiphop parties, what you get is a diverse musical blend that profiles one man's love of great music, past, present and future. ...
All killer tracks for sure, but there's 15 on this album and not one filler. Well done Danny. It's been a long time coming but the wait has definitely been worth it.

Dubble D's forte is setting up a nice funky beat and then building on it. It is apparent he is a drummer but never descends into muso showing off or, God forbid, drum solos! He explores a number of styles from Dub to Latin but one of the best tracks is Pudpots, featuring Nightmares on Wax's DJ EASE, which is very much in the N.O.W style and all the better for it.

Simon Harper, Clash Magazine

Danny sits in the drummer's usual position at the back but this time he's pulling the strings as well as tapping the skins - crafting a series of impeccable rhythms for a series of vocalists to work their wonders over as well as some nifty instrumental tracks funkier than the mosquito's proverbial.
Danny […] distils the musical essence of his Manchester home into one eclectic brew. You can sense the strobelights flashing across the Hacienda dancefloor in the acid bassline of house stormer 'Super Hi', smell the skunk at the reggae soundsystem parties hosted by Blood and Fire in 'Love Holds' and glimpse heads a-nodding through the smoke at a Band On The Wall jazz session in 'Big Fish'. You can even see the showers sweeping down Wilmslow Road as Diane Charlemange sings about 'Rain' - and what could be more Manc than that? But as the album title suggests Danny is keen to reach out and join hands - not just across the Pennines to 20/20 Vision and fellow Yorkshiremen Nightmares On Wax but also across the ocean to Brazilian jazz singer Flora Purim and her daughter Diana Booker, who provide vocals on bossa nova-styled beauty 'Switch'. Like Beyonce's booty 'Reachin' Out' is both tight and phat and it's just as likely to get yours shaking. Hear the drummer get wicked indeed.