AQUALUNG

"Music can be an amazingly potent thing," says Matt Hales, aka Aqualung. "When I sing into the microphone in the studio, I'm whispering my secrets in people's ears. When it connects, it can be so powerful. It's still a remarkable process to me." Indeed, in a field crowded with empty shouting, Words and Music—the English singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer's fourth album (and third U.S. release) under his longstanding nom de disc Aqualung—has the feeling of a series of deep emotional truths whispered in confidence. An effortlessly intimate set of subtly crafted, organically melodic tunes with openhearted lyrics and spare, mostly acoustic arrangements, Words and Music features some of Hales' most compelling work to date. Such subtly soulful tunes as 7 Keys, Arrivals, Good Goodnight and When I Finally Get My Own Place balance adult emotional insight and childlike wonder, and are squarely in the tradition of such introspective pop auteurs as Brian Wilson and Paul Simon. Not coincidentally, Simon's '70s classic Slip Sliding Away receives a poignant interpretation from Hales on the album. Words and Music — which Hales co-produced with his brother and musical right-hand man Ben, who also provides guitar, bass and harmony vocals, and co-wrote several songs—is the product of an extended period of soul-searching that caused the artist to seriously re-examine his career priorities, after a life that's been spent making music.

Estimated despatch 5-10 days after ordering.