Reviewed by Tony Cummings

How I got my hands on this album by an acoustic singer/songwriter from South Africa is rather unusual. A member of a Welsh rock band who were playing at Greenbelt 2002 found 'The Same Old Struggles' lying on a table in a refreshments tent, picked it up intending to pass it in to lost property but, for reasons too complicated to mention, passed it on to me. Then it remained in my bag for months. So did Matt play Greenbelt? Is he a frequent visitor to these shores? I know not. What I do know is that he’s made a most engaging album of laid back, rather haunting music. His production ideas, complimenting his acoustic guitar with the minimum of keys and percussion, work too. Only the jolly piano on “I’m Okay” doesn’t gell. But elsewhere the bitter sweet tale of a Christian girl singing her heart out for the King (“A Better Place”), the need to empathise with someone’s hurt (“Pour”), and recognising every bad decision in our lives is written in the pages of Scripture (“Every Mistake”) are all conveyed in simple, yet effective, images. Never suffering from over wordiness (a common fault of singer/songwriters), if anything the listener is sometimes left wanting another verse or two from the songsmith. If you’re looking for a haunting, grow-on-you album investigate Matt’s website. Unless, that is, he intends to come to Greenbelt next year and leave some more copies on tables.

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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