Matt Tyler Brilliant Disguise
The Birmingham acoustic singer-songwriter’s been knocking around a few years now, releasing a couple of albums on his own Dannyboy Records label, among them last year’s Undercover. A collection of new material’s in the pipeline for later this year, but most recently he released Brilliant Disguise, his own Bruce Springsteen tribute album. Such things should generally be approached with caution, several Springsteen cover collections having been known to send fans screaming in pain and outrage. But Tyler can count himself among the ranks of those who have done justice by the Boss, adopting a Nebraska style stripped down approach to uptempo numbers such as Dancing In The Dark, Glory Days and Thunder Road, his throaty delivery serving well on a striking a capella reading of The River that underscores its folk roots. Plaudits too for not just sticking to the usual suspects, but including his interpretations of lesser sung tracks Devils and Dust, Empty Sky and Sad Eyes. Mike Davies
