In a bid to stay sane, entertain and hopefully stay afloat in these uncertain times Matty James decided to make a brand new 10 track acoustic CD avaialble.Obviously, Matty James being the good guy we all know he is and how the current situation is affecting us all he has decided to not leave anyone behind here so you can simply ‘pay what you like’ for the digital download pre-order and everyone will receive email updates on how the project is coming along and evolving if you sign up to the mailing list. A bit Like a Pledge campaign Should have run its operation but without anyone stealing the money and Matty keeping it in house. There will be CDs available, plus exclusive Lyric Art (just one of each song).
Matty also wants to clarify, this is Not the new ‘album proper’ he’s been working on. He will now wait until the pandemic is in the rearview mirror before that gets done.
The songs are flowing and if you are in a position to get involved then Matty James is looking forward to seeing where it goes. To run along with this he will also do a celebratory live stream online gig. So whats going on with these here Isolation #tape recordings then I hear you ask? Well, Matt being the multi-instrumentalist and all-round one-man-band we know and love has also got his fellow Dogs partner Gary Pennick in to play some Guitars and add another flavour to the backing vocals. Whilst its a snapshot into how a guy works when writing this is well above what one might call a bedroom demo there’s no Tascam four-track going on here as ‘Dangerous To Myself’ displays as the opener in a really upbeat talk of the times with big acoustic open chords boxcar style drums and a howling harmonica.
There’s a change of pace for the Americana and gentle almost balladry of ‘Stop Cryin’ (It’s Only The End Of The World)’ which has a really good chorus that leads to Mr Pennicks (cough cough) soulful guitar picking (great arrangement).
Of course, this will appeal to Dogs fans and people who have a passing interest in the likes of Classic Quireboys as ‘Uncertain Times’ borrows of the good and the greats that have paved this path long before Matty His fellow Irish roots rocker Ricky Warwick did his best work when he picked up the acoustic guitar and did his thing and there is some of that here. Matty doesn’t just lean on the past he just pours a touch in his own mix and no doubt appreciated their offerings and learnt from those great records if it’s in yer DNA its in yer DNA. Love the simplicity of just writing a good bloody tune and ‘Say Nothing’ is just that.
‘Top Of The Hill’ heads down to the delta for some cotton picking Stonesy blues Americana. It’s a great mix of styles but ultimately the fit is totally cohesive and the songs flow really nicely with songs like ‘Someone’ reminding me of when Rod the Mod used to be able to play Rock and Roll in the late 70s when he was Atlantic crossing its got that vibe and Matty has nailed those Bass guitar fills and runs. But to wrap it all up its a return to the ’50s and ’60s and just writing a simple song but making it as good as it can be just like the Everleys or Buddy Holly did. Great work Mr Cassidy these songs are some of the best you’ve done ever and I can’t wait to hear the album proper. Top songwriter, top performer and Topman. Go check it out!
Pre-order ‘The Isolation Tapes’ and join the fun here – Here
Author: Dom Daley
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