It’s a great exposition of how the finest performances are a communion between performer and listener, with the singer as the focal point – and if you’ve been to a Big Big Train gig you’ll know exactly what David is talking about. Making Dyble Longdon’s acclaimed 2020 record Between A Breath And A Breath had been a step away from Big Big Train, the band that made his name.

Accepting the change that has occurred and facing it bravely whilst keeping the memory alive, even though the loved one has gone. The album’s longest track, The Letting Go, is about loss, which is painfully ironic as David died not long after its completion. When David died, the challenging task of doing the final recording and mixing the record fell to David’s co-producer, Patrick Phillips.

This album is different because of his passing but it is still a good listen, even if it is painful, for what has gone and for what could have been in his future. Forgive (But Not Forget) is a further revealing song that deals with the hurt of a failed relationship. Watch It Burn’s low piano line, new wave guitar riff and great Stacey/Vantsis groove power along as Longdon revisits a toxic relationship with an alcohol-dependent ex-lover. Je peux conseiller Common Ground aux amateurs de rock progressif symphonique, de préférence à ceux qui ont un goût pour les sonorités seventies (mais pas que). So the album ends positively and with a strong message of hope that we can all accept and employ in our own lives.

Perhaps surprisingly for an album made by someone known mainly as a Lead Singer, the album opens with an atmospheric instrumental – and that’s absolutely as it should be; because David’s talents were much broader than that of a frontman. His loss, especially as he was gaining respect and stature as a fine frontman, singer, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and visionary part of Big Big Train, was both unexpected and shocking. It opens with Into The Icehouse, an instrumental, ambient piece of birdsong and minimal piano tones playing almost a lament. The album closer, “Love Is All” feels like an emerging from the pain of Letting Go, and finding your place of calm.Gary Bromham: “ Having worked with David on and off for over 35 years, we talked extensively about the influences for the album. In that same perfect world Big, Big Train - the group for which he provided vocals, lyrics and the odd snatch of flute - would have been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame years ago.

Birdsong, echoing piano and a building cinematic atmosphere characterise instrumental prelude Into The Icehouse, an Eno-esque mood-setter that, in a kinder world, might have served well as intro music to a live show. David released his first solo album, Wild River, back in 2004 but on joining Big Big Train, the band became his primary focus. One thing I must note, and it pains me to say this, is that David not only seems to change genre, he also changes his vocal style somewhat. BBT released a stunning record in Welcome to the Planet earlier this year, and he and the band seemed poised for a new era altogether. David had also finally, after many years, begun to gain both widespread acclaim and respect, furthermore he had found satisfaction in his life with partner Sarah Ewing.There's a suppleness to the instrumentation on Door One that is often missing in BBT’s meticulously crafted music.