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Matt Goss - Life You Imagine (Review)

Matt Goss, Life You Imagine

Review by Jack Foley

IndieLondon Rating: 3.5 out of 5

MATT Goss may be remembered as one half of boy band Bros. But he’s now successfully reinvented himself as a Las Vegas crooner and one of LA’s most eligible bachelors.

The new-look Goss now returns to the UK, having taken Vegas by storm, with new album Life You Imagine, a record he has put together with legendary producer Ron Fair (Christina Aguilera, The Black Eyed Peas) and which builds upon the success he enjoyed in Vegas by employing the spirit of vintage Rat Pack material.

Here, he delivers his songs with a 40-piece Hollywood orchestra and re-imagines some well known standards in some style.

Foremost among them is his take on Bros standard When Will I Be Famous, which opens with a ’40s style horn before dropping in some sparkling piano arrangements and the type of chorus that would do the likes of Sinatra or Paul Anka. The chorus has a familiar edge to it but it sounds slick and mature.

It’s a measure of how affectionately Goss looks back on those Bros days that he’s not afraid to embrace his back catalogue while resolutely looking forward.

Similarly, his take on Omar’s Nothing Like This is every bit as stylish and lasting as the original.

Elsewhere, there’s a joy de vivre about Strong, which drops another polished chorus and employs a gospel-tinged backing to augment its pop sheen, while Evil is brimming with cracking melodies that expertly offset the darkness at the heart of the lyrics (a song about a temptress who spells ruin for anyone who falls under her spell).

Throughout, however, Goss seems to be having a good time paying homage to his idols. Face My Fears is a piano lounge number that bears favourable comparison to the likes of Harry Conick Jr, while there’s doey-eyed romanticism surrounding the swoonsome The Day We Met.

It’s a tribute to Goss, however, that his album consistently entertains and possesses the timeless feel he was undoubtedly seeking.

Download picks: When Will I Be Famous, Strong, Evil, Nothing Like This, All About The Hang

Track listing:

  1. Mustang
  2. Lovely Las Vegas
  3. When Will I Be Famous
  4. Strong
  5. I Do
  6. Face My Fears
  7. Evil
  8. The Day We Met
  9. There’s Nothing Like This
  10. All About The Hang