CD Review: Telluric by Matt Corby

Telluric by Matt Corby

by Michael Upton

WOW, what a missed opportunity this is.

Blessed with a souful voice and the looks of a scruffier Jared Leto, Aussie singer-songwriter Matt Corby has enviable potential to break through to mainstream stardom.

But this debut album, released following a series of EPs aired Down Under, is a desperately disappointing mess.

So many songs start out slowly and never get out of second gear, while the rare gem in the dirt only serves to emphasise the mediocrity around it.

The first two tracks play out like studio warm-up songs, never sparking into life, before the funky, bassline-driven Knife Edge — which should come with the subtitle “Radio 2-friendly single” — raises hopes of an improvement.

Sadly, it’s a false dawn, and the listener is plunged back into a series of forgettable, interchangeable album tracks.

So many defy description, because they barely get beyond self-indulgent, navel-gazing. I’m all for “stripped-down” production in the right environment, but too little energy can translate as not bothering. 

It’s such a shame, because Corby is clearly a talented singer.

Reviewing this album a few days after Prince died, it’s hard not to be struck by the occasionally similarly between his voice and Corby’s, but there the comparisons end.

Just like a writer needs an editor to keep the word count in check, Corby needs someone, anyone, to keep him focused on making music which will inspire and entertain the listener, not put them to sleep.

That’s not likely to be producer Dann Hume, because Hume is credited as co-writer on most of the tracks, making him equally guilty of squandering the chance to make something memorable.

I put up with a second listen to see if I had missed something first time around, and came away feeling like I’d simply wasted more time.