Music

After 30 years of playing live in Sydney & in later years around the central west, Matt Arthur has laid down his first long player. On Their Shoulders is a collection of tunes by artists that have inspired him, from childhood days to those as a discerning guitarist.

The album has an energetic live feel that comes from the straight forward arrangements of two acoustics and a voice. This works well as you would expect on the acoustic blues like ‘Old Love’and ‘Before You Accuse Me’ from Clapton’s unplugged session and Robert Cray’s ‘I Guess I Showed Her’. There are also some interesting choices like Stings ‘Perfect Love Gone Wrong’ and a sparse funky version of Talking Heads ‘Slippery People'.Recorded at Rolling Wheel studios in Orange producer Pat O’Donnell and Matt Arthur have crafted an album that works well, from the inviting opener of Keb Mo’s ‘France’ that takes the listener on a journey through the ups and downs that come with the blues, right through to the closing celebration of Jose Feliciano’s version of ‘High Heel Sneakers’. This is an album you’ll find yourself listening to on repeat, it makes for a great travelling companion in the car.

Patrick Coomey