WITH Doves, the fantastic band Jimi Goodwin fronts, on indefinite hiatus, their public voice – never short of intensity when it comes to music – steps into solo territory.

It’s often difficult to divorce an artist’s lone ventures from their collective work, which could have been a barrier for Goodwin; his vocals are so essential to Doves’ songs. But Odludek isn’t an album of offcut anthems, although Terracotta Warrior, the gently-building The Ghost of the Empties and the powerful, snarling Lonely At The Drop show Goodwin won’t wilfully move as far away as he can from his parent band.

Man v Dingo has some of The Coral’s jaunty craziness, while Live Like A River’s jabbing electronics are a reminder Doves were originally Sub Sub – come on, you remember Ain’t No Love (Ain’t No Use) featuring Melanie Williams. Excess – the lieutenant of many solo albums – is absent; Odludek simply allows Goodwin to satisfy his creativity and express his considerable, sometimes underrated talent. It’d still be good to have Doves back full-time, though.

Jimi Goodwin will supports Elbow at Leeds First Direct Arena onApril 11.