EP Review: Matt Doyle ~ Constant

I've long been obsessed with Book of Mormon Broadway (and now that it has finally come to the UK, Book of Mormon London) - so much so that I regularly stalk the show's official twitter feeds and news pages. It was because of this social media interaction that I was able to find out about current Broadway Elder Price, Matt Doyle - a charming chappy who has his own set of music out. His latest EP is entitled Constant and showcases Matt's ability as both a versatile, nuanced vocalist and as an expert craftsman of beautiful, insightful music. It's a piece of art that examines all aspects of relationships and the spectrum of emotions they can arouse in a person. He uses his voice as an instrument of his most inner-most feelings and surrounds that narration with exquisite instruments that add to the sentiment of the songs; ensuring that the music is as much the story as the lyrics and his flawless vocals. Constant kicks off with the elegiac What You Stole - a haunting, captivating ballad about the impact of love & how it can consume your entire being. It taps into that universal theme of loneliness and longing as Matt recounts the ways his life is now different because of the things love has done to him. It's so elegant and timeless that you are swept into the song from the first note and remain transfixed until Matt's melancholy singing comes to a close. What sets this apart (indeed, this is relevant for the whole EP) is that Matt concentrates on melody, on emotion and brings his theatrical experience of storytelling into your home through his intimate arrangement of the music. This is followed by Don't Wait - an equally expressive song yet at the other end of the romantic spectrum. In fact, it doesn't even have to be romantic love - it's all about telling the important people in your life that you do love them, not passing up the opportunity to share your feelings towards them. Inspirational, heart warming lyrics propel Matt's vocal to soaring heights & bring the song into vivid focus (note - there is a gorgeous version on youtube where Matt duets with the equally talented Blake Daniel on the song. Their harmonious voices give the song a resonant texture that gives you a giddy little thrill with each listen). It has a great pop song feel with a country music twinge that would fit nicely on radio alongside the likes of Ed Sheeran or Taylor Swift. Magnificent.

Matt continues to be the most masterful narrator on Can't Stay Here - engaging guitar chords dance intricately around a mellifluous piano consonance (with some gorgeous, lush strings). Matt's voice becomes the anchor of the tune, steering it ably with memorable chorus and spellbinding verses. As the lyrics are about not letting life's experiences keep you from moving forward, it's right that the instrumental acts as a propulsive force behind the words, in the most shimmering & bubbling fashion. Again, the music is part of the narrative thrust, becoming the backdrop for this uplifting tale. There is still a delicate regret within the lyrics as life sometime involves moving on without your loved one, but Matt is so artful in his craft that he never lets this bring the innate optimism of the song down. Next up is Can't Have You - and as amazing as it would be to have Matt's interpretation of the disco classic, this is mighty fine in it's own way. It's got more of a down and out blues feel to the music than the other songs on the EP and Matt sounds mighty sexy on it, particularly when he gets his grr-grr-growl on. Despite the occasional downbeat lyrics, there is a definite playfulness to the instrumental making for a nice juxtaposition that has you singing along before the song comes to an end. This is the perfect EP partner to the next song, Love Ain't Making Me Right - a gleeful call and response song tinged with gospel influences and giving some jolly pleasing handclaps to go along with it all. The boy can certainly preach from the bottom of his soul and it's another string to his versatile, genre-hopping ability.

It all comes to an end with the pop-hit-in-waiting, Walls. All about dismantling the barriers that some people can bring into a new relationship from previous relationships, after listening to this percolating little gem there ain't gonna be no lover of Matts who will resist his plentiful charms. And that's indicative of this EP as a whole - he can do sad, motivating, uplifting, sexy and joyful optimism. He taps into your own experiences and with musical alchemy makes it sound like each song is not only written for you but performed just for you too. Kudos to his songwriting partner also (Will Van Dyke) because this is just ever so marvelous from start to finish and back again.