Matt Creer
Album: The Leeward Tide
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 10
Website: http://www.mattcreer.com

Louis Armstrong once said: - All music is folk music. I ain't never heard no horse sing a song", which led, in a roundabout way, for me to ponder: - do formally trained musicians make good folk musicians? For me they fall into two distinct camps: technically brilliant but soulless, and those who let technique to play second fiddle to heart and soul. Matt Creer definitely belongs to the latter category. A former orchestral trumpet and percussion student at the Royal College of Music, 'The Leeward Tide' is his second album following "Lanterns" a self-produced, self-released record in 2011. The Leeward Tide' overcomes the tricky second album syndrome beautifully; it's as fresh as the morning dew.

Subtly co- produced by himself and Gypo Buggane at Gypo's own Ballagrove Studio at Ballasella on the Isle of Man , it has the feel of having a major label budget behind it instead of a limited budget self-release supplemented by funding from the Manx Art Council. The mix of using local Manx musicians apart from off-islanders, Chris T T and Mali Korsten on guest vocals, gives the album a strong feel of cultural rootedness unique to living on an island, which is also captured by the wonderful commissioned seascape on the cover by local Manx artist Nicola Dixon. If albums could give off aromas of the songs within, this one would encapsulate the essence of Manx through the smells of the sea, the rugged coastline and the open rolling hills.

Opening with the "buoyant" 'North Northwest', the most radio friendly song on the album which Matt released as a taster for the album, it is interlaced by the excellent fiddle work of Katie Lawrence. The delicate 'Islands' features backing vocals from the late Katherine Crowe who was Matt's musical soulmate and mentor. There is innocence and charm to the song which has a gorgeous multi tracked vocal refrain that effortlessly weaves and soars. The harp playing of Georgina Graham is prominent throughout Flesh and Bone' a magical melancholic journey of feeling naked and alone, and "Your Dancing Shoes" has a melody which immediately makes you think of Lennon and McCartney around the time of the release of 'Revolver ' and sounds as good as anything they wrote. 'Gaslighting' has quickly become my favourite track from its quiet unassuming beginning it quickly develops a traditional Celtic feel with bodhran and other percussion until the introduction of the bouzouki of Malcolm Stitt in the motif which seamlessly takes the song on a journey to conveying the feel of a raga. I don't know if this was deliberate, but either way, it is pure genius and the feel of the track is very evocative of the work of one Seth Lakeman. And talking of the Lakeman's, 'The Leeward Tide' has quickly become my joint favourite folk album of the year along with Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman's 'Tomorrow Will Follow Today'.

Lyrically the songs are direct: a vivid collection of melancholy, angst, yearning and introspection all delivered in a vocal style that has a warm clarity to it which draws you into the songs. The musicianship is superb and along with the fore-mentioned musicians we also have the dual cellos of Josephine Evans and Ruth Douthwaite; Steve Rowe on bass; co-producer Gypo on Fender Rhodes, bells and timpani and Mr. Creer on everything else. For such a small island, the Isle must have something in its water to produce such a crop of excellent musicians.

There is not a filler or bad track on the whole album. Impressive musical arrangements are there at every turn through the rich tapestry of layered sounds and arrangements which bring to life every nuance of the songs and reflects the formal training of the composer. Without subtle production it could sound cluttered, but every instrument fits snuggly into each track; complementing one another; and are given enough space to breathe and entwine. The whole album has classed stamped across it from the songwriting, the musicians, the cover, the production which reminds me very much of Daniel Lanois, and the mastering at Metropolis Studios in London by Andy 'Hippy' Baldwin who has worked with the likes of Coldplay, Arcade Fire, The Who, Blur and The Orb. It's not a manufactured sound, but one which has been organic created, nurtured and developed.

I feel privileged to discover what for me was an unknown talented singer-songwriter. This is an album which yearns and needs to be played the old fashioned way: in its entirety and the way I will be playing this album in years to come.

Chris Light