My Silent Bravery’s fourth album Diamond From Coal finds the Matthew Wade project using less of the tight, snappy rhythmic twists of the previous album Can’t Quit. The new album’s rhythms are looser, wider, allowing for a rangier sweep of sounds. While this album might not be as danceable, it offers colorful, vibrant landscapes of sound while becoming hooky on a deeper, larger level. Produced by local studio uberman Anthony J. Resta, this album jumps out of the speakers with an unbeatable clarity of sound.
“Amazing” opens the album with nimble guitar work and infectious cooing and alluring grooves. Matthew Wade’s smooth, assured vocal glides through his positive message. He makes you feel like singing along, as it’s hard to ignore something this catchy and cheery.
Wade runs a couple of electronic melody lines through “P.O.V.” underneath his smooth, flowing voice. It all combines into a nice, motion filled song that carries listeners along. Wade reflect a Prince influence when he cops the line “animals strike curious poses,” and that isn’t a bad influences to have in this genre.
“Gone” bursts right in with a thick wedge of synthesizer effect. From there, a sublime keyboard line fills in the space above a bouncy groove. Listeners won’t be able to ignore the main melodic line. It sound like synthesized guitar, and it’s as cool as it is innovative. Wade’s voice, as usual, is another treat for the ears. He simply glides over all with an ability pull the listener along with him.
“Forever” is a dreamy down tempo affair graced by Wade’s mellifluous vocal, mellow guitar picking, and a sublime electronic backdrop. Its gentle chorus feels wide, and it feels like something that could sell a million albums.
“On My Side,” a local radio hit single, engages with its guitar riffs played sublimely beneath a honey smooth Wade vocal. “High On Life” succeeds on the back of the subtle organ melody under the infectious pop vocal. A cool guitar riff adds another layer of enjoyment as the song rocks things up with alluring drum fills and its notable beat.
A feisty guitar riff dances its way through “Stop And Go” and leads the rest of the instrumentalists through out. Wade sings coolly above the engaging sound he’s composed. “Stop And Go” is another song on its way to local radio glory. Listeners will relate to its exploration of challenges and its call to overcome them. They’ll also likely hit the replay button several times.
“Windows” slowly envelops the listener in its wrap of nimble, mellow guitar picking, breezy string moods, and Wade’s ever so lush vocal. Slightly Beatlesque in its influences, it creates a unique soundscape for itself in its interwoven textures. It’s different, but in a very good way.
“Better Things” finds Wade cooing his way through a catchy chorus and his support players giving off a perky vibe. Funky little guitar riffs and an underlying organ swirl carry the day so listeners won’t have to skip to the next track.
“Believe” is another Wade composition with hit single written all over it. Its chorus hints at The Beatles, Badfinger, and others from that time period. Its wide majestic vocal sweep over a simple but catchy drum track, augmented by an authoritative cello and moody guitar, make it impossible to stop listening. Following with “Tears,” Wade offers a bonafide dance track. It’s something you could hear at a club that plays dance tracks all night. The difference, here, is that Wade’s dreamy vocal gives it a much wider soundscape. It will be interesting to see how this one works out for him.
Closing out with “You Shine,” Wade leaves us with an acoustic guitar driven, electronic music augmented piece of ear candy. This one gradually unfurls a wide, all encompassing soundscape that lets the artist known as My Silent Bravery gracefully exit with something that leaves listeners wanting more, and there’s certainly more to come from an artist of this magnitude.
My Silent Bravery, which is the pseudonym for Boston recording artist Matthew Wade, has delivered another album of exceptionally fine pop rock music. Diamonds From Coal is another notch on Wade’s belt, one that will get him more recognition than he already has. With any luck, Wade’s music will end up on the right soundtrack or on the right radio station at the right time, and he will make a million dollars.
