bio

Once in a while, a voice emerges painting vivid pictures of emotions, places, and people; that resonates intuitively with listeners on a most humble level. With singer-songwriter Dan Challis’s sophomore album No Lonely Road (2020), we ebb and flow on his journey of love, loss, and reflection through the footprints he laid while on a four-year journey away from his home in Sydney, Australia; through New York City and eventually settling on the rainy coast of Vancouver Island, Canada.

“The album represents a short but significant chapter of my journey as a songwriter. Being there changed me as a person and I wanted the songs to reflect that. I had a grand vision of how my life would play out; ultimately it wasn't to be. But I can look back and say I captured that moment in time, and the things that had a profound impact on my life. I wouldn’t have been able to write this album without those experiences.”

Dan's tender and stripped-back sound was melded together with a fresh contemporary approach, thanks to Melbourne producer and singer-songwriter Stephen Grady (The Ahern Brothers) and recording engineer Roger Bergodaz (James Ellis Band, Raised by Eagles) at Union Street Studio in Melbourne. Both Grady and Bergodaz worked in combining the 'old' with the 'new' in generating a modern approach to a classic sound; think Americana inspired jangly guitars with ambient piano effects, which is the flavour on the outlaw country inspired tune 'A tale of two men'. 

Through his poignant insights we are able to see Dan mature and grow in each one of the album’s songs in stylistically understated tones and sensibilities. Songs like 'Dust in the Wind' and 'No Lonely Road' create a musically upbeat contrast that moves us through the same type of thoughtful reflections from different angles and perhaps even gives a nod to some contemporary artists. We also hear some distinctly Canadian influence from artists such as Neil Young on 'All Your Notes', and on 'All That You Mean' with Gordon Lightfoot, who Dan does credit as a big influence while working on this collection of songs.

From beginning to end this carefully crafted album is simply Dan’s story, but his experiences are ones most of us have or will go through during our lives. He has made himself admirably vulnerable for the sake of his craft, and his work deserves attention.

Album review by Andrew Brown - Barely North Entertainment.