Mat McHugh - Seperatista! (Album)
» Mat McHugh - Heritage Hotel, NSW - Sat, February 7
» Mat McHugh - Brass Monkey, NSW - Sun, February 8
» Mat McHugh - Toff in Town, The, VIC - Thu, February 12
» Mat McHugh - Ruby's Lounge and Bar, Vic - Fri, February 13
» Mat McHugh - Palais Theatre (Hepburn Springs), VIC - Sat, February 14
» Mat McHugh - Settlers Tavern, WA - Thu, February 19
» Mat McHugh - Fly by Night, WA - Fri, February 20
» Mat McHugh - Garden of Unearthly Delights, Rundle Park, SA - Sun, February 22
» Mat McHugh - Zoo, The, QLD - Thu, March 5
» Mat McHugh - Sol Bar, QLD - Fri, March 6
It's becoming a bit of a trendy thing on the Australian music scene.
Time and again our talented musicians are extending their creative wings, and embarking on solo projects and other collaborations.
Is it an opportunity to explore other creative directions in the music industry that are denied to a musician when stuck within the confines of a band? Or is it a reflection of the times we live in where just being in a well known band, unless they are mega successful, does not bring the financial security it used to, forcing our musicians to diversify and have multiple projects on the go?
Maybe its a combination of both. Not that I'm complaining either way. It's seeing some amazing music getting released.
And we get to see our musicians as multi faceted talents rather than the one dimensional stars they may seem when trapped within a certain genre or look in a band. There's the charming Mr. Tim Rogers, whose solo and collaborative efforts are a far cry from the rock world of You Am I.
And Kevin Mitchell just seems so goddamn happy to be Bob Evans...
Now, Mat McHugh, better known as the front man for The Beautiful Girls presents us with his first solo project in the form of SEPERATISTA!.
Going off in a musical direction well away from what we would hear from TBG, Mat presents us with a beautiful, laid back collection of acoustic songs with an occasional slight reggae feel to it. Basically, Mat had a collection of songs he loved, but which he knew would not really fit in with where TBG was going. So, after stripping the music back to the basics, and with a bit of help from some wonderful friends from the Sydney Jazz scene, SEPERATISTA! comes our way.
From the opening bars of Under the Landslide when the sweet sounds of acoustic guitar intersperses itself with Mat's haunting vocals, you know you are in for something special.
Although there are slightly different styles and influences to the songs, they all have amazing arrangements and a raw honesty to the lyrics to help charm us.
The album meanders through 11 heartfelt songs, combining the acoustic sounds of Mat's guitar with the instrument collection of his jazzed up friends, as Mat's vocals enchant us.
One of my favourites is still Darling, This Scene Must End, the first single that was lifted from the album.
And I love the horn section in Over and Over, a song that reminds me a little of UB40.
This is a beautiful debut and I'm loving the direction Mat is going in with his solo aspirations.
He once said he had a million songs he was trying to work his way through.
So hopefully that means we will be hearing a lot more from Mat McHugh.
