After three years away, the name Aqualung may well be one that has slipped out of your consciousness. But with upcoming release Memory Man, the enigmatic Matt Hales is set to reintroduce his mysteriously uplifting pop back into the world and on this evidence, it is a venture well worth making.
With a bigger sound that you may be expecting, Cinderella begins with a soaring guitar/piano-led intro, the kind that The Feeling or Keane have been inundating radio stations with for years. But then things get interesting, as Hales' oh-so-quiet, introverted vocals begin to take shape and the gentle thud of various technological murmurings swim towards coherence.
With angelic choir work, and almost an entire orchestra of instrument samples, the density of this track keeps the otherwise simple structure to the song extremely engaging. In particular, the falsetto chorus "be careful what you hope and you pray for" proves encapsulating, as the texture of the track builds majestically around it.
After this, even a return to the opening riff makes sense. With a good dose of artistic credibility to it, this unashamedly pop-tastic number is likely to be a big summer hit, and will give the forgotten Hales a route back into your hearts.
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