Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

Here the American song smith mixes pop melodies with acoustic textures to create airy pop music which works whether he's just strumming a guitar in the spotlight or you get the full production on an album like this. A more polished sound than 'Friend Or Shadow' though really it's the songs that stand out most brightly. An astute observer and commentator, Matt manages to get the balance between Heaven and earth in his songs so the poetic "Clouds" paints pictures of the second coming, whilst the poignant acoustic "Susan Avera" explores the growing and changing relationship of mother and son. There's also plenty of humour in "Charge Of The Sparrow" where the darker message of the song is juxtaposed by the Mardi Gras style jazz arrangement! Great fun. For me I prefer it when he gets poppier so my favourite songs are the gentle groove of "Live Wire" and the evocative full band sound of the atmospheric "Unveiling". If you like the pop/acoustic mix of early Jars, Be Bo Norman or FFH, Matt Jones makes well-crafted music and is well worth adding to the list.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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