Cerys Matthews: Never Said Goodbye
Never Said Goodbye shows Cerys Matthews' newer quiet-yet-confident persona
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Monday, 21, Aug 2006 10:51
Rough Trade, out now.
In a nutshell.
Melodic, country, summery, grower, great.
What's it all about?
A summery record about a married new mum in America, this is Matthews' second solo attempt at combining her innate ability to spot a catchy chorus with some serious song-writing and quirky experimental arrangements. It combines the quieter acoustic moments of Open Roads and Elen with poppy and upbeat attitude of Streets of New York and Seed Song. Collaborations with Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals fame feature, as do the production skills of Cat Power producer Stuart Sikes.
Who's it by?
First brought to public attention as the ballsy cigarette-tinged voice of Catatonia, Cerys Matthews sang a duet with Tom Jones before calling it a day with her band mates and decamping to Nashville, Tennesse, the undisputed home of country and western music, in 2001. The second of her solo offerings, this follows 2003's Cockahoop - well received by critics as an intelligent departure from the Brit-pop hangover that was Catatonia's International Velvet.
As an example.
"I'd came to see you in the morning sunshine/ saltwater dripping from you hair/ ten thousand leagues of love and sheer devotion/ what bubbles under breathes for air."
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
Much like Matthews' first solo offering, Never Said Goodbye is bound to be well received by the critics, so shocked will they be that the writer of Mulder and Scully should be capable of such songwriting maturity. Award-winning might be pushing it though.
What the others say
"There are frequent instances of real beauty - the simple love-lorn sigh of The Endless Rain, and the joyous Morning Sunshine. On this exuberant evidence, Matthews should carry on thinking big." - the Telegraph.
"The former Catatonia singer is a 37-year-old mother of two with serious addiction problems behind her, but on her second solo album, she sounds intimately in touch with her inner 14-year-old," the Guardian.
So is it any good?
It's pretty good. Once you get over that slightly grating Cardiff accent, you realise that here is a beautiful and brilliantly crafted album, full of three-minute pop gems infused with added folky depth. The first song, Streets of New York, is a case in point, with Matthews showcasing her talent for melodic songwriting and heartfelt lyrics together will a newfound willingness to experiment. On top of the sparse arrangements of guitars and drums, the layered backing vocals and synthesisers have added something extra to many of the songs. Although she shouts a bit occasionally (on Oxygen - a song about global warming), there's not much evidence of the brashness that characterised Matthews' Catatonia performances, with a newer quiet-yet-confident persona more apparent here. This record is a grower, too. Listen to it a few times and start to love it.
7/10
Edwin Lane