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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bittersweet, 10 July 2008
The first thing which strikes you about this album is how very different it is from 'Draw.' Although it has many of the same qualities, including Matthew's sweet clear voice, it's a noticeably more evolved and assertive work, with stronger lyrics and a more upbeat and confident style.
From the opening track, 'There Were No Complications,' you can see that this offering is a little more mainstream and contemporary than its predecessors. The soul and R'n'B influences which Matthew cited in later interviews are evidenced in this collection of radio-friendly pop and rock numbers. That said, this is still very uniquely Matthew Jay, with the same pure vocals, and quirky twists and turns in the tunes.
As already said, this album seems more pacey than 'Draw.' The instrumentation has a brighter and rockier feel, reflecting Matthew's subtle change in direction.
The first three tracks are catchy and instantly accessible. There's some great guitar work on 'I Wake When I Want To', and 'She Didn't Understand' is a catchy driving track, slightly reminiscent of 'The Last Train To Clarksville,' and with a definite feel-good factor.
I was very happy to see that something which hasn't changed is the compelling contrast of placing sometimes dark words against upbeat tunes; a technique which Matthew always employed so well. His distinctively intelligent and insightful lyrics are also still very much in evidence, and one thing I've always liked so much about these is the fact that they work on several levels. They can be taken as simple words to cheery pop songs, but if you look a little deeper, there are clever touches of humour and insight into human behaviour.
For me, one of the stand-out tracks is the new version of 'The Question' (previously released as 'What Would Love Do Now?'); rearranged here with some beautiful soft guitar, which sounds in places almost like another version of Matthew's voice, providing a strikingly beautiful backing harmony. However, my favourite track of the new material is 'Chaos.' I would never have guessed that Matthew's voice would lend itself so well to a powerful and passionate rock song, but it works perfectly. This track has a startling driving darkness and raw pain, in both the soaring vocals and stark lyrics.
'My Erica' is placed in sharp contrast to 'Chaos,' being a slow-paced love ballad, and perhaps it is this juxtaposition of tracks which illustrates so clearly the broad range of styles Matthew managed to master. On this song, possibly most of all on the album, we hear clear evidence of an evolution in Matthew's vocals. There's a deep soulful blues quality to his voice here, and a maturity of singing style which gives a tantalising glimpse of where Matthew might ultimately have been going creatively.
'Black Coffee' again is Matthew displaying his skill at creating deceptively simple feel-good pop songs. This, like the coffee in the title, is a sweet pick-me-up to help you through the day.
'If There's Malice' reminds me in spirit of 'Become Yourself' from 'Draw,' in that it's a feisty song about standing up for yourself against people in this world who might be out to cause you harm.
'Nothing Seems Good Enough,' is, in my opinion, reminiscent of George Harrison's work. It has a warm retro feel to it, which gives it a broad appeal. It also has some witty lyrics which make me smile every time I hear them.
I very much feel that Matthew would approve of the way in which the songs he left behind have been interpreted and finished. The new instrumentation and backing vocals have completed the picture perfectly. This is more than just putting finishing touches to partially written works, the artists involved have made a real effort to get inside Matthew's head, and I feel that their interpretation of his vocals and lyrics has enabled them to round the songs off in the spirit in which Matthew started them.
In entirety, the album is a snapshot in time of a talented young man as he experiences many different moods. In all respects, it's clear that this is a very grown up Matthew, a few years down the road. Having been sometimes bitten by life, he's standing up for himself and fighting back, whilst still maintaining humour, and the ability to love with depth and passion.
I get the feeling that the time spent writing these songs very much represented a transitional phase for Matthew; that he was experimenting with a number of styles, although the resulting tracks remained quintessentially Matthew Jay. In a lot of ways, this album is a delight and a frustration, evidencing the emergence of a talent which had so many more wonderful places to go to.
Countless journalists previously tried to pigeon-hole Matthew as an acoustic troubadour. However, this album will undoubtedly make them revise their opinions. There are some excellent mature rock songs here, which work extremely (and perhaps surprisingly) well, despite preconceptions some may have had about Matthew's arguably sweet voice not suiting the unexplored veins of indie rock and soul.
Much as I love 'Draw,' it's my opnion that Further Than Tomorrow' is a truer portrait of Matthew than his debut album. The wide diversity of songs included accurately reflects his many facets and moods, and forays into new genres which he clearly delighted in making his own. Produced, as it has been, by people who knew and cared about Matthew, it is evident that great care has been taken to interpret and present his songs the way he himself would very likely have done, had Fate afforded him a little more time.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
MATTHEW JAY FURTHER THAN TOMORROW, 18 July 2008
Karen Harris - New York journalist and writer
Further Than Tomorrow, the new cd from Matthew Jay was finally released this past June, much to the delight of fans that have been waiting patiently for it to come to fruition. The late musician was working on the songs contained on this cd before his death in 2003. His debut album "Draw" garnered him much critical acclaim and two successful hit singles. This latest release is a continuation of his amazing musicianship and lyrical genius, and culminates in another brilliant record from this talented artist. Further than Tomorrow features the song "The Question," which was released earlier this year under the alternate title "What Would Love Do Now," this time with a full band and just as beautiful as the stripped down acoustic version of the original. Another highlight of the album is the reggae-tinged "My Erica" as well as "Chaos," a new song that has received glowing reviews from Q Magazine online. This long awaited cd will not disappoint longtime fans of this very talented artist.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
A very welcome addition to the Jay musical canon, 4 July 2008
I've been a fan of the late Matthew Jay's music since hearing "Meteorology" on a Parlophone sampler in 2001, and consider "Draw" to be one of the finest debut CDs of all time. Having diligently collected up all the 'B' sides (and then got them all again on "Too Soon") I was always going to buy "Further than tomorrow" - the long-rumoured posthumous production. I had my doubts though (Elliot Smith's "From a basement on the hill" anyone?) plus the pre-publicity suggested that it was going to be a bit different to his previous stuff. Happily that's true, but not too true. Many of the twelve tracks have a rather familiar feel to them to fans of his previous work, but there's also, just, sufficient variety and evolution (for want of a better word) to make this sound like more than just a tidying up exercise. The production is sufficiently tight than you can easily forget that the instrumentation has for the most part been bolted-on. "Chaos" shows a particularly energy and "If there's malice" also makes an immediate impression. There aren't any noticable clangers (although "The question" - a.k.a. "What would love do now" was never one of my favourites). A success then, and certainly likely to be more satisfying than "Too Soon" in the long run I think, though not up to the dizzy heights of "Draw". If you're a Jay fan already, you'll want to get it. If you've not heard him yet then try "Draw" first, and prepare to be amazed.
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