Paul Sumner is a singer-songwriter born and raised in Southport; a modest seaside town in the North West of England. As one of eight children he sought escape from the strains of family life using music as his outlet. Accordingly, 'A World Of Horses' is strong on heart-on-sleeve sentiment with an echo-driven production; the sound of the seaside opening and closing the record. Despite a couple of misfiring songs ('Gone' is Oasis-by-numbers whilst the funk workout of 'Tyson Part 2' seems out of place), Sumner's strength lies in his soul-baring material. The acoustic 'Golden Sun' is possibly his best song but it's ably backed up by 'Tyson' and the title track; all of these feature Beatlesque melody and Sumner's delivery at its most yearning. Sumner also attempts a show-stopping 'Revolver'-like number on the ambitious 'The Astronaut' and towards the end of the song he just about pulls off the trick. A commendable first album by Sumner which is strong on honesty as well as tunes.