There are multiple meanings to Emboldened – it is, after all, the guitarist's debut recording, following recognition for his work with singer Sarah Colman – but principally it derives from the four-tune suite opening the album. Written during the early months of the pandemic, Steve Banks wanted to express the individual and collective way society moved from initial panic through reasoned understanding to a unity of purpose. Like a lot of ‘lockdown’ music this is carefully composed stuff requiring careful playing and confident handling.

Thanks to the quintet he drew together, however, there is a real live performance energy to the album and it's a surprise when no applause rewards the many tasty solo moments. Banks judiciously deploys his own playing, allowing the collective sound and the other musicians to develop his ideas but, when he lets it, his guitar brings a lyrical sweep to tracks like ‘Fear’ and ‘Unity’. Rebecca Nash's piano adds empathetic depth throughout, notably on the anthemic ‘Two Brothers’ with its melodic bass solo from Henrik Jensen that melds into another deft moment for Banks.

Drummer Mark Whitlam, generally unobtrusively discreet, gets to let loose on that track and the following ‘Just Listen’, a more relaxed jam session number with everyone having a great time. Closing off, the slow waltz ‘Always For You‘ and ‘Forever Yours’ has one of those instant melodic lines Pat Metheny writes, and Banks handles it with sincerity. Respectfully embellished with piano and taken up by Sam Crockatt's expressive tenor sax, the song works out vigorously and finishes with a polite tip of the hat.