When Hope Grant (aka Envoy) released his debut album in 1998, house, techno and the pumping thumping hybrid he specialises in, were top-of-the-chart sellers, with the likes of Underworld, the Chemical Brothers and Daft Punk seemingly about to change musical tastes permanently.

Six years on though, as Hope's follow up album hits the streets, dance music's dominance looks decidedly shaky, which is a shame, given that Shoulder To Shoulder is up there as a top quality house/ techno album, on a par with the great dance records of old.

Opening tracks 4 Absent Friends and Red Mist set the standard immediately, sounding reminiscent of Underworld, though spruced up with a decidedly Slam style thumping groove (presumably inspired by Hope's years of singing and touring with the Soma label-mates). Track 3, Move On, is the real clincher, a truly special song that he's co-produced with Ewan Pearson. Featuring strings supplied by a 29 piece orchestra (playing an arrangement scored by Craig Armstrong) the track features Hope singing a (presumably autobiographic) tale of a pop star waiting for success. Moving, hooky and highly accessible, it's a proper pop song by a proper artist, highlighting the rich potential that really remains within dance music, and more specifically, Hope Envoy Grant.

Title track Shoulder To Shoulder (dedicated to George W and the album's first single) is another potential crossover cut, while the rest of the album pays closer attention to the dance floor. Shoulder To Shoulder is out now on Soma Records.

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