I guess the biggest problem with this album is the length: with only 9 tracks it's just a couple of songs too short. On the plus side, Jorn sounds as good as ever; he is undoubtedly one of melodic rock's most talented singers.

As expected 'Lonely Are The Brave' is a collection of mid-tempo hard rock stompers with a couple of slower tunes in the mix. One of the album's highlights is the ferocious 'Shadow People' which is dominated by a terrific riff. 'Soul Of The World' starts off slowly before the usual mid-tempo rock bombast kicks into action. Perhaps 'Promises' is the ultimate highlight of the album: it's a stunning and highly-infectious melodic rock track with a powerful bass and progressive riff. If the album had the consistency and strength of 'Promises' then it'd be damn near perfect.

Overall, the production is excellent and Jorn's vocals are truly outstanding but with a fairly short number of tracks and a lack of up- tempo rockers 'Lonely Are The Brave' just lacks the, dare I say, X Factor. It's good but not great. I suspect something better from Jorn will come along in the near future.

***½

Review by Neil Daniels