Aqualung finally lives up to his billing
Singer-songwriter Matt Hales, a.k.a. Aqualung, a.k.a. the bloke who made that 'Strange And Beautiful' song from that Volkswagen advert, that sounded a bit like Robbie Williams - only good. This is the follow-up to his critically revered, but in my opinion overrated, self-titled debut of last year, which sold over 200,000 copies worldwide and received an Ivor Novello nomination. 'Aqualung' displayed an undeniable talent, but the understated minimalist piano/vocal combo was too repetitive, and listening to the album from start to finish was an arduous task.
I'm pleased to report that 'Still Life' sees Matt fill-out his sound with the welcome addition of a full band - with drums, guitars, strings and piano providing a much-needed backdrop to underpin his fragile Jeff Buckley/Thom Yorke vocals, which have taken on definite tinges of Ryan Adams. 'Brighter Than Sunshine', the first single to be lifted from the album, is destined for chart success, with instantly addictive melodies that encapsulate the feel-good times of summer love. Other notable highlights are the bluesy 'Left Behind', which sees Matt venture fully into Ryan Adams territory, and soporific closer 'Good Goodnight'. 'Extra Ordinary Thing' almost spectacularly loses the plot with a terrible harpsichord intro, before recovering in fine fashion to form a piano-led ballad that listeners of the first album will be familiar with.
This really is a vast improvement, and I now feel that Matt actually deserves the plaudit of being one of Britain's strongest songwriters. I know that this probably isn't the sort of thing that a Room Thirteen reader would normally listen to (or be seen listening to), but if you class yourself as a fan of good music in general, then I urge you to give this a try. After all, you can always hide it from your friends...