LONGTIME Keighley musician Don Gaudiosi has released a retrospective album marking the 20th anniversary of his musical project Hush.

An Unconventional Journey 20 features songs written by Riddlesden man Don and recorded with the various line-ups of his Hush Project.

After a decade’s break he returned to the studio to record seven new songs to supplement favourites from previous sessions.

Don has fronted several Keighley bands during his 37 years on the local music scene as a singer, songwriter and guitarist.

He started out in 1982 in Mod band Unit 3 with Frank Farkas – now a nationally-renowned singer in a U2 tribute band – and Colin Stewart.

Don went on to front Suffering in Silence, The Paris Effect, Kick and Grip, regularly playing rock and pop covers across West Yorkshire, before starting the Hush Project in 1999.

Although Hush was intended as a recording-only group, showcasing original songs, Don went out of the road from time to time with his fellow musicians.

Don said: “After those other bands I was fed up doing gigs and was sure I could write an album. I tried to get a band together who would play in the studio.”

The result was the album Streets of Gold in 2003, followed in 2005 and 2009 by EP The Magic Prince and album Lost Soul.

Don said: “I’ve spent thousands over the years on those recordings. I keep on writing, it’s the sort of thing that excites me more than performing.”

The Hush Project went dormant in 2009, as Don went through issues in his personal life, but after a few years he found himself writing again.

He added: “I knew I needed to go back into the studio. I took singing lessons and my voice is more controlled on these new songs. I had to be careful which of the old songs to pick for the album because some of the vocals weren’t that good.”

Now in his mid-50s, he has found many of his new songs hark back to the past – his time in Unit 3, people he has Lost, and Elvis Presley’s early years.

Don’s recording buddies were also blasts from the past, and he is full of praise for the musicians he played with over the years who agreed to return for more weekends in the studio.

Type The Hush Project into Facebook for details of how to download the album for free.