Matt Cardle - Amazing

The daft thing about Matt Cardle is that if he hadn't spent the last few months doing seemingly everything possible to tarnish his name, he could probably be a half-decent popstar. But as it is, all his boasts of 'credibility' and barmy 9/11 conspiracy theories have turned him into a bit of a joke.

Previous single Starlight was one of the few saving graces on his debut album - a rousing up-tempo anthem  of Coldplay proportions. But for Amazing, he turns to utterly dreary sub-Westlife balladry. If levels of sheer tedious 'how long does this go on for' boring-ness could be measured, Amazing would be off the scale.

Keane-styled Stars & Lovers would have made for a far better single choice - like Starlight, it presented Matt as a far more engaged musician, aiming to bridge the gap between commercial rock and pop marketability. Instead, he offers Amazing - a wedge of watered down nothing.

And the worst part? It doesn't just sound like a bad record, it sounds like the kind of record put out by an X Factor star on the slide, and we've already had far too many of them pass us by...

Amazing is released on the 13th February.

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.

Rebecca Ferguson - Nothing's Real But Love

For the discerning pop picker, Rebecca Ferguson was always the real one to watch in last year's X Factor. While eventual winner Matt Cardle was busy making claims about his credibility, we were all being won over by jaw-droppingly amazing performances like Rebecca's take on this Eurythmics classic...

For her debut single, Rebecca has taken the direction many assumed she would - classy 60s style retro pop; smooth, soulful - so far, so Duffy...

Of course, Rebecca's appeal is that her voice feels infinitely more authentic than the likes of Duffy and assorted other acts pursuing the same style. The sheer effortlessness that she tackled each and every track on the X Factor with, it was clear right from the start that Rebecca was the real thing, not another case of style over substance.

And for those that like their Rebecca with a bit more BPM to it, the Logistics mix is rather good - transforming the track - via a cracking drum n' bass beat - into the disco-stormer us fans always knew she was capable of making.

Nothing's Real But Love is released on the 27th November. Rebecca's album can be pre-ordered on HMV here.

'Nothings Real But Love' Logistics Remix by Rebecca Ferguson

Matt Cardle - Letters [Album Previews]

As is the norm for X Factor winners these days, Matt Cardle has wisely taken a year out to record his debut album, and now we have our first taste of what it all sounds like, courtesy of iTunes.

Part of me had been previously inclined to think that album would be a lot rockier than Matt's 'taster' winner's single When We Collide, but the truth is that everything else on the record fits neatly alongside it.

The closest comparison is of course Take That - after all, Matt worked with TT head-honcho Gary Barlow himself on Run For Your Life. It's solid, dependable pop - track after track. And while it may be a little more earnest and weighty than previous X Factor branded material, it still falls chiefly into the category of glossed up Christmassy ballads.

What it sounds like Matt has tried to do here is - track by track - reference as many of his contemporaries  as possible: Stereophonics (All For Nothing), Keane (Stars & Lovers), James Blunt (Amazing), James Morrison (Faithless) - Matt turns his hand to turning out his best impressions of all of them. The emphasis seems forever on the creation of a 'big' sound, tear-jerking ballads that allow Matt to put across that grittier side of his voice that served to make him a favourite on the show last year.

Of course, the danger is that so much of the album sounds too similar. Put through the filter or Matt himself, all those influences and contemporaries merge into one anonymous wedge of sound. The album might be consistent, but it also falls prey of having too few standout moments.

That's not to say it has none though - Starlight makes for a strong opening to the album, a kind of Rule The World style bit of epic emotion-tugging pop. Surely a future single.

Beat of a Breaking Heart is the only true highlight though, and also the only genuinely individual moment on the album. Here, Matt finally sounds like he's doing his own thing. It's a gorgeous, minimalist ballad - orchestral strings swelling to a cinematic crescendo.

More like this in the future please Matt!

Letters is available to pre-order on iTunes now.

Matt Cardle to play London's KOKO

Last week Matt Cardle premiered his new single Run For Your Life, which we rather like, and now he's giving you the chance to get an even bigger fill of him when he takes to that stage at London's prestigious KOKO.

Matt plays the venue on the 3rd October and tickets go on sale at 9am this Friday (16th September) - Make sure you get in there quickly, they're bound to go fast!

The X Factor star's album Letters is out on the 17th October and can be pre-ordered here.