Matt Cardle - Glimpses of something good

It's a rare occasion that every single song on an album is bad. And as much as it would give the detractors of Matt Cardle (myself included) great pleasure to say that the X Factor winner's album is one such record, the truth is that even amidst the indulgent, strained thing of mediocrity that his debut is, there's actually a couple of really good tracks on there.

The best, for me, is Stars & Lovers. Yes, it sounds like a Keane rip-off - but that's also its saving grace, because quite frankly, Keane are brilliant. The chord changes are strong, the chorus uplifting, and most importantly, it feels 'alive' - so unlike the tired nature that suffuses so much of Matt's album.

There's also Starlight - God knows why they didn't choose this as the lead single as it's miles better than Run For Your Life. It seems the draw of a big name songwriter (Gary Barlow) presented a far more attractive prospect to Matt's label, but in all reality, Starlight is a far stronger track. At its best, it's Coldplay-esque, driven by a rhythmic string section.

I hear Starlight is already lined up as the second single from the album, and it's a wise move - Matt may find he actually wins himself a few new fans with this one. Who knows, in a parallel universe, his album may even have been as consistently good as this all the way though - but for the time being, the search for a make X Factor solo star of that calibre still eludes us.

Only time will tell what becomes of Matt Cardle - but it's reassuring that in songs like Stars & Lovers, there is at least some merit to him.

Matt Cardle's album Letters is available to download on iTunes now.