Album review: MATTY JAMES CASSIDY – Old Souls

Cargo Records [Release date 28.08.20]

I do love a record that you cannot pigeon-hole to one musical genre, especially one that has a rich tapestry of influences in there too, and that is exactly what Matty James Cassidy has managed to produce with his new album “Old Souls”. Blending old school rock n roll, blues, country and even a touch of folk, there is something within this record for everyone.

The two stand out songs for me are title track “Old Souls” with it’s almost reggae like guitars and plenty of Stones style brass, and the old rock n roll feel of “After All”. Then we have a fine pair of opening tracks in “Said and Done” and “Contradiction In Terms”, the latter almost reminds me of Eddie Cochran’s “Somethin’ Else”.

There is an art to the way that a singer can tell a story in a song and the reflective “The Art of Falling Down” and “Down On My Luck” are both good examples of this. The bluesy “Rosary” will stay in your head for days and the album is closed out by the Irish feel of “Born Ancient”.

“Old Souls” is a strong and consistent album and Cassidy has joined the list of artists that I look forward to seeing live when life returns to normal. ***1/2

Review by Nikk Gunns

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)