Matthew John

If there’s one artist who knows how to marry bold string play and a vibrant lead vocal in perfect pop harmony, it’s Matthew John, and he demonstrates as much in his stunning song “Shine for Me,” one of the highlights from his new compilation EP The Best of Matthew John. The interplay between his serenade and the guitar is an essential component in making the mood in tracks like this one as tangible and wholly accessible to us as possible, but if you’ve heard John’s work before, you know that it’s not the only brilliant element comprising his dazzling songcraft.

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/MathewJohnMusic 

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/MusicbyMatthewjohn/ 

“You Are There” is the most humble composition on The Best of Matthew John, not to mention one of the most selfless lyrical displays to see widespread release this summer. John doesn’t try to overpower us with a lot of virtuosities here; he breaks down the narrative in an almost conversational manner, striking a balance between the warm poetry and a bittersweet melodic hook in the string section that makes us feel as connected with the music as we do in more enigmatic numbers like “Shine for Me” and “Let’s Begin Again.” He doesn’t know how to be egocentric in these tracks – in some ways, this is as raw a form of expression as it gets in contemporary pop. The bassline commands all of our attention in “Let’s Begin Again,” and to a lesser extent “Reach for the Stars,” but not in a way that would distract us from the lyrical core in either of these tracks. 

John skillfully arranges all of the instrumental parts to create a layered sound in all four of the songs on The Best of Matthew John, and in these heavier tunes, he makes sure to create as much distance between the rigid textures of the low-end and the tender, delicate facets of his own vocal. It’s not exactly unfanciful, but it’s not overproduced in the slightest. His lush lyricism aside, Matthew John’s vocal is utterly chic in “Reach for the Stars” and “You Are There.” Because of how communicative the collective melodies are in these songs, he doesn’t have to be a wizard with his words to make his point more than clear to us. The fact that John is so adept at constructing smart lyrics is really just an added bonus inThe Best of Matthew John; he’s the full-package, and anyone who didn’t know that prior to the release of this EP will have no choice but to recognize it after hearing these songs for themselves. 

NAPSTER: https://cl.napster.com/artist/matthew-john/album/matthew-john/track/lets-begin-again

Love, introspection, optimism and reflection – Matthew John has it all in The Best of Matthew John, and listeners who are looking to get away from the dreary topics marring mainstream American pop would be prudent to acquire a copy for themselves this August. Its polish might not sparkle as much as a major label pop release’s would, but for those of us who value quality content above a varnished decadence, its tracklist isn’t just hard to come by these days; it’s a rare oasis of harmonies in a desert of boring, dry beats.

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Trace Whittaker

Newcastle-upon-Tyne

8/2019