Eric Matthews - The Imagination Stage

...so one of the CDs I am listening to most at the moment is the new one by Eric Matthews, The Imagination Stage . For my money, Eric Matthews has been succesfully traversing the already thin boundary between Power-Pop and Chamber Pop for years.

I first became aware of him as the #2 singer in the band Cardinal. In 1995 and 1997, he created two terrific solo albums, It's Heavy in Here and The Lateness of the Hour. He didn't release another CD of his own for another 8 years thought he did make a number of guest appearances on other artist albums. Since 2005, he's been quite prolific - releasing 2 EPs and 2 CDs in three years. The music is of consistent quality with great singing, haunting melodies and impecible production. Eris also plays classical trumpet well. It reminds you of Penny Lane when you hear it within his Beatles influenced songs (listen to the first song on his debut - Fanfare). I warn you that this music is a bit "serious" for some - but I think that it holds up well with repeated listening.

I've included links to buy downloads of all Eric's officially released stuff below. I recommend all of these. I also included link to a compilation of songs from tributes to help fans complete their collections.

A Short Discography:

It's Heavy In Here (1995)

The Lateness of the Hour (1997)

Six Kinds of Passion Looking For an Exit - EP (2005)

Foundation Sounds (2006)

Self Titled Limited Edition - EP (2006)

The Imagination Stage (2008)