Singer-Songwriter from London/Cornwall, Matt Woods has just blown us away with the release of his debut “Ain’t No Use EP“. Classified as future soul, the four-song release is a welcome and needed companion to sing 2016 out the door. Great vocals and quality composition have made this one of the most pleasurable reviews I’ve conducted in quite some time.
The EP opens with a self-titled track that gets the emotions flowing. Matt Woods sings about a personal experience, and the lessons that came from it. In a recent interview, he stated: “The song is about accepting that some people will always have a hold over you no matter how much you’d like them not to.” It is a beautifully performed track, all the way from the vocals to the beat. He sings that “sentiment burns the soul, it stains us at the core”. Woods continues to express a similar feeling throughout: that sometimes there isn’t a way to ever fully get over someone, but instead you just have to get up and move on.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/250682111″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]With “Ain’t No Use EP”, Matt Woods delivers a pleasurable and solid debut, with great vocals and depth to the composition.
The drum and synth choices are of a consistent high quality throughout the release. There’s a varied sound across the four tracks while still maintaining continuity, letting you know it’s all one related piece of content. There’s a variety of tempo and depth to the composition. This came as a bit of a surprise for a four track release, as these shorter releases tend to be either lyric-focused or instrument-heavy tech demos. Matt Woods manages a very complete sound on every track, making me long for more.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/295518445″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]The last song of the “Ain’t No Use EP”, “If You Forget Me”, brings the story to a solemn close. He sings, “If you forget me, you should know that I forgot you long ago.” It doesn’t come off as aggressive or spiteful, merely a simply-stated fact, a tired statement at the end of a long journey. It’s a beautiful ending to an all-around well-done project.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/295520739″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]Matt Woods has started something that I hope other artists will pick up and continue. “If You Forget Me” attempts to tell an unexplainable story, and does a damn good job. This artist has enough soul to take on a dozen church choirs and win – and he’s just getting started.
