Singer/songwriters have been dealt a bit of a raw deal recently due to the horrors of Blunt, Nutini and company recently. So when you hear of Scott Matthews, slightly folky, young, photogenic, clutching an acoustic guitar and bearing the inevitable comparisons with Jeff Buckley, you could well become very sceptical.
Whatever you do though, do not miss out on hearing Elusive. This is one of those records that will leave you transfixed as soon as you hear it. There's a gentle, lilting acoustic backing before Matthews' world-weary sigh introduces a song of such beauty it could split your heart into tiny little pieces. The lyrics are poignant without being pretentious and it's bound to appeal to all those who have been charmed by Jose Gonzalez this year.
So yes, it's very Buckley-like (and also reminiscent of Nick Drake), but that's certainly no bad thing. Matthews is a major talent and if this isn't huge then there's really no justice in the world.
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