My Silent Bravery’s latest release Holding Out For Hope shows that Matthew Wade is a nonstop factory of fantastic pop music. Wade, who records and performs under the moniker of My Silent Bravery, again has created witty lyrics, catchy rhythms, and sweet, lively melodies.
Title track “Holding Out For Hope” has a jumpy beat and a frisky chorus that makes one feel its grooving motion all the way through. Wade’s honey smooth voice spreads perfectly over the sonic landscape, a sweet contrast to the snap of percussion, slap of melody, and perky synth work below.
“Hey Miss” breezes by like a pleasant dream. Its lead vocal flows and it’s background synth sweeps all into its cottony puff of sweetness. Complex rhythmic tricks from electronic instruments keep it catchy and fun.
“Hideway’ moves at a brisk pace while offering an alluringly brittle melody beneath the lead vocal. Wade switches to a hush vocal, suddenly backed by swishing synths, and then its back to it catchy center. These shifts contribute to the full anthem feeling that keeps this one a piece of bouncy joy.
Wade’s My Silent Bravery project continues the festive dance of sounds with “Something Beautiful.” His cooing chorus coaxes more motion out of this dance of sounds. His voice caresses the lyrics with true warmth and he shifts into freewheeling chorus voice with a catchiness that exists on multiple levels. By this point, the listener would be wondering why Wade is not one of the major league national songwriter to the stars. He just keeps coming up with exceptional material.
Bumpy percussion pushes “After The Party” into a beautiful mesh of coos, sweeping instrumentation, and romantically plaintive lead vocal. It’s hard to decide which part of this tune is better, the verse section or the chorus. The hooky chorus doesn’t let go of the ear yet the lead vocal flows with a natural charisma that also keeps one listening.
“Wrong Way” meshes Wade’s beautifully hushed vocal, swirl of instrumentation, and a dual percussion line that keeps the listener engaged with each of its moving parts. “Only The Young” blends a down tempo electronic percussion with a dreamy, sweeping synth line. The contrast highlights each, the percussion making the toes tap, the sweep drawing the listener into its wide world of sound. Wade’s honey smooth, whisper soft vocal here coats it with another layer of something special. Texture is key to this piece’s appeal. It’s several different kinds candy inside a chunky chocolate bar.
“Excuses” continues the winsome magic of engaging electronic percussion, easeful vocal glides, and a huge wide sound that envelops all. Anyone who can turn the word “excuses” into a musical treat for years has got to have some kind of special talent.
A quirky percussion line in “Against The Wall” draws one’s attention like a finger tap on the shoulder. Toss in a whistling melody, a silky smooth vocal that moves with hip resolve through the sonic landscape, and one cannot help but get caught up in the factory of fun that this song is.
A tumbleweed of voice, percussion, and melodic keys make “Rescue Me” a down tempo cruise. Wade croons high and sweet over his rolling tuft of sound. This slow song lets him breathe, shows what he can do in a restful pace, his voice looming large as he has time to chill and focus his emotive message.
With a touch of classic R&B in the groove, “Cold Shower” swaggers with true attitude which belies the heartbreaking back story to this song. Wade, hip enough to find the right moments strut his chops, pivots around the groove with a master’s flair for punctuation. His voice hits enough pauses to add another layer of cool vigor.
A beautiful Wade vocal leads us into “Dancing Around Destiny,” a song that offers many nice touches. Wade’s plaintive voice, a subtle acoustic guitar, and a shifting dual percussion come together well in this ode to fate. The tune pivots well around Wade’s vocal work, showing how much pull his voice alone can have in these down tempo pieces.
“Will You Let Me” funks things up a bit, referencing songs by Prince while the low end and percussion bulges with a bumpy groove. If this does not motivate you feet, you’re dead. Wade works his magic at the microphone, jiving through his jumpy vocal melody with much aplomb, a man who deserves to be a pop star.
Close out tune is a bonus track, title track “Holding Out For Hope” featuring rapper Maurice. Adding his own special contributing, Maurice’s soulful rap makes the tune even better that its sans rap arrangement. His rap fits in beautifully with Wade’s original vision. This one has got crossover appeal written all over it.
Wade’s latest My Silent Bravery CD, Holding Out For Hope, produced by Jimmy McGorman, features a lot of potential radio hits. His tunes will likely dot the landscape of local music format shows through out greater-Boston and New England. Warning: you might not be able to stop dancing once it comes on.
www.mysilentbravery.com
