Album Review: Matt Corby

Review — By Rosy Sennett on 09/08/12

“Doesn’t need big studio production to create heartfelt tracks that showcase the wonderful emotional depth of his voice…”

Matt Corby | Made of Stone EP

One thing is clear after listening to Australian singer/songwriter Matt Corby; he certainly doesn’t need big studio production to create heartfelt tracks which showcase the wonderful emotional depth of his voice.

An amalgamation his two most recent EPs, both of which sold spectacularly well in his homeland, ‘Made of Stone’, begins with its title track, a melancholic piano playing, similar to that of Sia’s ‘Breathe Me’ which leads to Matt’s silky vocals slipping ontop of the lush music. The lyrics are relatively short and simple – repeating twice the message of having a heart of stone as opposed of one of emotion – something which appropriately blends into the darkness of the melody.

‘Breathe’, while similar in emotion to ‘Made of Stone’, provides us with a slower pace and gently weaves orchestral accompaniment into the mix to compliment the piano background. Ironically on this piece, it sounds like Matt takes little breath himself to create his quiet husky tones which, combined with lyrics of “I didn’t know where I was, or where I was running to” results in an image of becoming emotionally lost. The track beautifully fades with Corby’s vocals drifting into hushed piano notes leading straight into ‘Winter’, the final track of the EP.

Consistent with his apparent style of keeping repetitive lyrics relatively simple, creating something based more on the emotion felt through the melody – this time with the accompaniment of a guitar – ‘Winter’, as with ‘Made of Stone’, lifts to a mild crescendo as it draws to a close, nicely rounding off as a finale piece.

Matt Corby’s sound – subtle, subdued and stripped back – is pretty unique within the music industry at the moment. With glimpses of haunting tones you can understand why he’s been labelled ‘Australia’s answer to Jeff Buckley’. Quite simply, Matt’s latest installment certainly won’t disappoint.