Matthew Good
Album: Arrows Of Desire
Label: Frostbyte
Tracks: 10
Website: http://matthewgood.org/

Matthew Good not to be confused with the British actor Matthew Goode is a Canadian alternative rocker whose new album Arrows of Desire is his 6th solo album released last month. He's enjoyed a successful musical career in a band and as a solo artist, he's also a political activist, a blogger and according to some Canadian acquaintances a bit of a motor mouth who has refused to accept any of the three Juno Awards from The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences he has won. Apart from the motor mouth, sounds like my kind of man. To be honest before this review I had never heard of him, as he rarely performs outside Canada.

Unfortunately it brings nothing new to the table, I didn't expect it to re-invent the wheel of rock just make some significant modifications given his illustrious past. The vocal delivery is reminiscent of Michael Stipe and a melodic John Lydon with that distinctive vibrato evident on most tracks. There is angst, anger and energy in the vocals: it's just a pity the music doesn't back this up. Instead we get for the most straightforward well produced anthemic American/Canadian guitar-driven AOR of various descriptions. There are certainly clear references to the alt.-rock of REM, the Afghan Whigs and the Pixies in the ten tracks. Only four tracks for me are worthy of a second play:- Via Dolorosa, the fairly menacing Garden of Knives, Guns of Carolina and the longest track on the album Letters of Wartime which offers something different to what has gone before.

The UK release includes a bonus disc containing acoustic versions of his back catalogue which is slightly more interesting than the main album.

Arrows of Desire has been acclaimed by critics and his fans in Canada, so I wondered if it was me who had a somewhat jaundiced view. I let Phil my local Butcher who has a wide taste in music have a listen. He kind of backed me up describing the album as a 'bit vanilla'; a new musical term to my ears - I wonder if it will catch on?

Chris Light