Description
With his new album Nothing Left Behind, released on 23 January 2026 via Jazzhaus Records, Danny Bryant opens the most personal chapter of his career to date. The British guitarist and singer-songwriter -- a fixture of the European blues-rock scene for more than twenty years -- presents a record that marks both a fresh start and a natural progression, musically as much as personally.
Asked whether there was an overarching theme to the songwriting, a reinvigorated Bryant answers without hesitation: "The album is about my rehabilitation and the changes I've made in my life." Nothing Left Behind is an unflinchingly personal work. Bryant speaks with striking honesty about the years when alcohol and restlessness dictated much of his existence. Yet this is far from a bleak album. "It's quite a positive, motivating record -- that was important to us," he says. "The songs reflect my new perspective."
"This isn't a departure from what I've done before," Bryant explains. "It's an evolution. The band's sound has developed, and so has the songwriting. There are a few surprises people won't have heard from me previously -- new facets that have grown naturally from what I've always done, without losing sight of it. It's a step forward, a conscious shift that remains grounded in my roots."
Nothing Left Behind broadens Bryant's characteristic sound with new colours, bold arrangements and a wider sense of scale, shaped by the cohesion of a band that has grown closely together. All five musicians are integral to the project -- a deliberate choice in the studio, where the aim was to create an album that feels as alive on stage as it does on record. "We wanted to make an album we could perform live," Bryant says. "With five of us on stage, we can reproduce the full sonic picture we created in the studio." The resulting sound is broader, bolder and more vivid than anything on Bryant's previous releases.
Bryant describes the making of Nothing Left Behind as a genuine collective effort, driven by trust and shared inspiration. "Everyone left their own mark -- you can hear that. It's not my album, it's ours. Each member brings different musical backgrounds that filter naturally into the songs."
While Bryant was heavily involved in pre-production and set the creative foundations, guitarist Marc Raner took on the role of producer during the final sessions and post-production, helping to shape the band's vision with precision. Engineer Martin Meinschafer -- known for his work with Henrik Freischlader -- delivered the album's recording and mix with characteristic clarity. "I was in a vulnerable place," Bryant says. "For years I masked a lot with alcohol. Now that I'm sober, I've had to rediscover myself -- and Marc helped guide that process musically. We didn't want to make a standard blues-rock record. It was about songs we believed in, regardless of genre."
Nothing Left Behind balances driving blues-rock moments such as "Swagger" -- with riffs that nod towards ZZ Top and AC/DC -- "Three Times As Hard" and "Lover Like You" with markedly intimate material. "Enemy Inside" stands out: a stark, affecting ballad in which Bryant confronts his past. "The song is very personal," he says. "It's about my drinking and everything I went through."
"Redemption", with its unmistakable Led Zeppelin influence, forms another key moment on the album -- and emerged from an atypical writing process. This time, the music came from Raner. "At first I didn't know where the song would lead. Now it's one of my favourites. It was a new approach for me, and that's exactly what appealed."
Elsewhere, the album offers further surprises, including a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Nothing Man". A relatively overlooked track in Springsteen's catalogue, Bryant renders it with a sense of intimacy and fragility that broadens the album's emotional range. The result is a distinctive, moving interpretation that captures the record's reflective core. "We'd never cover something as iconic as 'Born in the U.S.A.' But with 'Nothing Man', I felt we could bring something genuinely our own to it."
Across the record, Bryant and his band sound assured and tightly knit, giving one another space while maintaining a palpable connection throughout. That sense of openness and trust underpins the album. It is the sound of an artist who has gained a new sense of clarity -- supported by musicians wh
