Lonely Are The Brave

ever since maverick sabre appeared on professor green's 'jungle' - a snarling dystopian view of modern urban landscapes - there was a sense that this was an artist that would not only go places, but stand out from the rest of the pack. for 21-year-old michael stafford, born in hackney but raised in ireland, there's a richness and collective wisdom to the creation maverick sabre - like all great musical personas, sabre speaks as the voice of the people, a mouth-piece for the many. 'lonely are the brave' is an album that blurs the boundaries between mixtape and biography, commercial lp and concept work. think a mix of amy winehouse, daniel merriweather and ian brown.