Matthew Bruce - Paradise
Pop, Easy Listening, Singer/Songwriter
Ohio, United States
Overall Impression: Big-sounding choruses, electrifying performances, and a generous amount of truly catchy melodies help to make Mathew Bruce's "Paradise" a thoroughly engaging pop-rocker that has both the charisma and heart to effectively reel many a music lover in. "Paradise" feels very much like one of those essential festival favorites, the type of track that has the power to really rouse its audience, get those hands up in the air, and get them blissfully singing along to its feel-good lyrics, and if a piece of energy-infused songwriting such as this can achieve such a feat then I simply can't help but tip my hat to it.
Strongest Point(s): Balance is a key component to any modern pop-rock track such as "Paradise" and being able to effectively utilise and incorporate a number of distinct stylistic influences into a song can be rather tricky to get just right, take the punk-flavoured nature of the overdriven rhythm guitars for example or the more singer-songwriter based vocal style and acoustic guitar based progressions, it can be very easy for one element to overpower and undermine the other in a track such as "Paradise" but it's clear that a great sense of balance has been achieved throughout. The arrangement is strongly structured and boasts great variety and creativity with regard to how both the instrumentation and writing are used to create a strong feeling of momentum between the song's various distinct sections, whether it'd be the way in which the drums and bass guitar create an acutely focused sense of intensity in the verse sections with their continuous kick and one note bass stabs or the way in which the attitude infused power chord led rhythm guitar sections are further complimented by the ultra-melodic sustained lead guitar melody that overlay, there's plenty to really sink your teeth into and as a result "Paradise" feels both sonically thrilling and musically diverse.
Target Audience Appeal: "Paradise" is a solid pop-rocker and lovers of the style will certainly enjoy what the track has to offer.
Artist target suggestions: Sam Fender, Coldplay, The Fray, Ed Sheeran, Tom Walker, Scouting For Girls, Viola Beach, Blossoms, Inhaler, James Bay, Catfish and the Bottlemen, 5 Seconds of Summer, R5
Interested in having your Song Reviewed by our Professional Staff? Head to your RadioAirplay.com dash and click Song Reviews under the Special Offers menu!
About the Reviewer:
Andre Avanessian is a freelance session musician, composer, and sound engineer based in the U.K. Having studied music production and composition at a degree level, he has taken his passion for all things audio-related to a level that has allowed him to become both a competent musician and performer. Being a self-confessed "Guitar Nerd" Andre has been continually studying the guitar, as well as teaching it, helping students learn the instrument, develop their songwriting, and become proficient in home recording.