Reviewed by Matthew Cordle

Matt Hill, the former worship pastor at !Audacious Church, Manchester, has live music in his blood. He picturesquely recalls, "Ingrained in my earliest memories are the thundering sounds of drums through an arena-sized PA system, the roar of the crowd together in one voice, and the power, authority and beauty introduced into the atmosphere with one carefully executed note from an electric guitar." With this, his solo debut, Matt has taken a new direction. He wanted "to strip things back and create space in the music" so the album is recorded live in a big room as a three-piece with Jimmi Clarke, bass, and Jonathan Hamilton, drums. Well towards the blues end of the rock scale with a magic dose of bass funkiness, the songs throb with musicality. Although there are some moments where the trio just jam together, the album predominantly comprises good melodies and arrangements that never feel as if they're meandering or have lost their way. Matt is creative and expressive with his guitar sounds and the trio play together so tightly you'd think they'd been together for years rather than this being a debut. Whilst often musically reminiscent of Gary Moore, Matt's songs are way less angst-ridden while his lyrics clearly come from a worshipping heart. Unfortunately, several are very poor and are expressed in wince-inducing cliché and one song even features an idea about God that simply isn't true. Matt has a rich, vocal tone, seeming equally comfortable with smooth, layered harmony as with more exposed lead lines. This, coupled with creative guitar playing and rock solid bass and drums, might have made 'Masterpiece' a top rate album (maybe even a nine squares rated one). But the lyrics drag it down.

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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