Album Review: Matt Benson, Sit Back Down Again

The music shop where Matt Benson's father worked in Belfast was blown up during the Troubles. But the soon-to-be artist managed to salvage a trombone from the rubble.

He has since gone on to enjoy a fine career with the instrument, playing alongside the likes of George Ezra, The Pogues, Brian May and Bad Manners, to name but a few. Now, he steps into the smoky, jazz club limelight with a debut album which is accomplished and intricately constructed.

Each track is like a short story, whether it’s the fleeting bar-room romance on opener ‘The London Line’; a semi-fictionalised tale of how his grandparents met (‘Nancy And The Soldier’); or the experimental exploration of childhood on ‘Broken Masterpiece’.

The lyrics, and the vivid, matter-of-fact fashion in which they’re delivered, echo Bob Dylan and Van Morrison in their later years, and there are vocal comparisons to be made with Randy Newman thanks to Benson’s honeyed drawl.

His musical chops are evident, with excellent piano playing and rich layers of horns throughout. The arrangements remain tight, sophisticated but never overdone. ‘Rest Easy, Wake Happy’ and ‘Rescue Song' channel a gospel-meets-pop energy, while ‘The Way It Should Be’ leans into New Orleans jazz with some organic double bass. At times Benson’s voice veers into an affected croon, but his emotional honesty saves it.

The standout is the soulful, gospel-tinged title track, with tremolo keys and neat guitarwork buttressing an uplifting message of self-love.

It’s clear that Sit Back Down Again is exactly the record Matt Benson set out to make; an album that doesn’t try too hard to be cool, making it cooler than most.

7/10

Out now