Have You Heard: Scott Matthews

Scott Matthews - Passing Stranger

Wednesday 20th May 2009

In silver shards and energy of poets not forgotten; those trembled words of troubadours who sang with unchained passion; in Buckley, Drake and Martyn; in India and England; in fresh and flowered elegance he trickles down the airwaves, washing through the scuppers and the pipe-holes of my brain; that is, Scott Matthews; symphonic and eclectic, taking floating melodies and finger picked guitar, then forging it with chaos and a lot of pots and pans; and with the Kitchen Sink thus twirled about his little finger, the songs are thrown like fireflies to soar above the record; yet some do with the strength of mighty Zeppelin’s ‘Kashmir’; ‘Dream Song’, in particular, could be a distant cousin, whilst ‘Passing Stranger’ takes the tone of Buckley’s ‘Last Goodbye’ (and replicates the moment with some charming slide guitar).

Across the varied garden of expression, sound and mood, to the lilting and emotional ‘Eyes Wider Than Before’, a delicate and soulful track, with Elliot Smith’s surprise attack – that graceful understated sound that skips between two worlds and back; yet even through this tangled haze of history and influence, Matthews keeps his clarity and stark originality; here is not a man deserving solely of comparison, but one who stands alone against a tidal wave of rehash; the endless drivel spewed from tired Blunt and flaccid Morrison; the hollow bore of soulless hacks that babble out the queries – “Oh, who amongst these Coma-Cases now will be our Dusty?”

Here a man alive is sat to sing us something different, a song of real virtue with no screech of crass commodity.

This artist has a gift to give, so give him something back; check him out and check him in – the hotel of your mind awaits; abundant in its luxury, accommodate the stranger.

Scott Matthews’ debut album ‘Passing Stranger’ is out now on San Remo.   

His new album ‘Elsewhere’ is due out on May 18th 2009.

Recommended listening: ‘ Passing Stranger’, ‘Elusive’ (Single), ‘Dream Song’, ‘Eyes Wider Than Before’.