Versatile and beautiful eighth album from Malvern’s acoustic songsmith.
MALVERN-BASED troubadour Matt Woosey is arguably one of our most prolific and versatile acoustic singer-songwriters, and Desiderata – his eighth album in just eight years – is a beautiful, soul-bearing testament to that.
The variety of influences and genres Woosey invokes to build his sound are copious. Folk, blues, jazz, bluegrass, classical and electronica are all represented here. Across Desiderata, Woosey also enlists the services of a handful of A-list musos including folk royalty double-bassist Danny Thompson and experimental sticksman Clive Deamer, who’s grooved with Jeff Beck, Radiohead and Portishead.
Album highlights include the haunting, flamenco-infused Mystified, the Lennon-esque folk harmonies of Million Miles and the trip-hop chill-out zeal of Lighthouse – while perhaps the most immediate moment is the heart-skipping chorus of You And Me (‘Celebrate your lover, tell her you love her…’). Desiderata is inspired by the 1927 way-of-life poem by Max Ehrmann, and Matt Woosey’s virtuosic guitar playing and eloquent songwriting will no doubt inspire its own countless disciples somewhere down the line.
