Aqualung - Cinderella Single Review

Aqualung
Cinderella
Single Review

Surely Matt Hales is very depressed. Most Aqualung songs from both his previous albums have been solemnly downcast, and some may say the fact that I've bought them both says more about me, rather than that this terribly sensitive singer-songwriter has greater longevity than at first listen.

It's not that Cinderella is bad, but after a four year vacation to mull over your own existence, you just can't come back with material that sounds exactly the same as two albums that.well, sounded the same. Maybe I should point out that I bought those albums for £2 each. Anyway, stagnation is what I'm saying here. The welcoming presence of a soaring guitar riff à la Embrace is stifled for Hales' insistence to stick by minimal piano and lofty vocal melodies that give him little room to manoeuvre. In terms of lyrics, Hales imparts unconstructive anxiousness rather than resolution, which does still serve as an oddly addictive comfort, but it's truly dulling and will probably make you fall asleep before it gets to your emotions.

Jamie Curtis