The opener contains the lines “You got the sugar for my coffee/ You got me feeling luvvy-duvvy”. Tracks two and three might be the most forcefully upbeat pop-soul confections you’ll hear all year. If Danish duo Black Dylan put out an ad demanding airplay on Radio 2, they couldn’t make their intentions for their debut any clearer. So what prevents Hey Stranger from sliding into bad Motown pastiche? One factor is the darkening mood that grips the album in its second half, where a love affair falters and a son lashes out at his prodigal father. The other is Wafande, a reggae star in Denmark before this foray into 60s soul. His warm, genial presence gives the album its charm.
