Matthew Neves – “Cheers To Nothing”

Matthew Neves – “Cheers To Nothing” – Single Review

I can be the bigger man and admit when I’ve underestimated an artist…and I think that assessment definitely applies to Matthew Neves.  When I last reviewed him…to be fair, it sounded nothing like this at all…it was an amped-up party-song full of fist-pumping ROCK…but was that all a disguise or did this guy go through a complete metamorphosis?  What exactly happened here?  “Cheers To Nothing” is absolutely the strong kind of acoustic-rock that I’d totally listen to…there’s a really rad rhythm & groove to this new single from Neves.

Not that I thought I was tougher on the material from before than I needed to be…all types of music serve a function and a purpose…it just wasn’t really my style personally – this absolutely is.  I love the backwards spin put onto the song’s very beginning, and from there it drops perfectly into a seriously THICK low-end acoustic rhythm with accompanying brightness added in.  The vocals come out sounding perfect…it’s nearly a lounge-style song at the very beginning before Neves puts the rasp into his voice for the bridge and chorus.

And let me tell you this…he sounds absolutely freakin’ fantastic.

The ideas on the guitar and the overall mix & production shine thoroughly throughout this sly rhythm…but I gotta hand it to Neves on this particular song – he nails this melody perfectly and the vocals come out stunning from every possible angle.  Great writing to this song…the movement and transitions are flawlessly entertaining…this song snaps together like it was built to from every element included…but nothing outshines the performance up-front on the mic.  Neves is electrifying and supremely entertaining in a solid display of tone, control and great energy that can lift up the entire song at any given moment.

So yeah!  Truly impressed with this second track I’ve experienced from Matthew Neves and how much of a surprise this really ended up being.  I think each part of this song has a real burst of energy to spring from and the melody hits-home in every possible way.  I actually went on to check out a bunch more songs from Neves…and as it turns out, “Cheers To Nothing” seems to be much closer to his style than the track we’d previously reviewed.

Not to put too much of a personal-spin on this particular review…but if we’re comparing those two styles, approaches and sounds…well…this is the one that really works for me.  What Matthew’s doing here on this song really showcases his talent and songwriting in the best of lights.  “Cheers To Nothing” is a seriously well-constructed rhythm and groove that contrasts between the sweetness & dark of life beautifully.  Great mix to the music, really solid performances from the subtle percussion to the string-sounds backing the guitar…but again, no matter what’s happening around him, the star remains the star of the show here – Neves is fantastic on “Cheers To Nothing.”  Brilliant song, perfectly executed.

Find out more about Matthew Neves at his Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/matthew.neves

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