Pidgeman - The Why, The When & The How

Hear The Track Here

One of the real paybacks of reviewing the way I do is that, as well as listening to lots of stuff you'd never have a chance to otherwise, you get to follow a musician over a long period of time. I have found this helps enormously for me to put across what can be expected from such musicians, and Craig Matthews (aka Pidgeman) is a prime example. My first encounter with this decidedly rock animal was in November 2007 and since then I've reviewed God knows how many tracks, first on MP3 Unsigned and lately from his own Soundclick site. Here is a rock/pop musician who is also a very keen and capable producer and songwriter - the ideal one man band IMHO. Although I've had the odd rough spot with Pidge, that certainly hasn't been the case over the past year or so where - it seems - he has upped his game quite considerably.

Dawn Sinclair (a name that might be familiar to you) provides the lyrics on this occasion but it still falls to Pidge to supply the rest of what makes The Why, The When & The How happen. It's a surprisingly standard blues based song in principle with yer bog standard rock backline of bass, drums, guitar and, given the genre, plods along in the appropriate manner. It all kicks off properly with a massive organ surge leading into the chorus, a real singalonga chorus, the kind you wail at the dead of night on your way back from the pub (Ed: yeah when you DO find your way back, that is...). Thinking about it, I guess that's why my neighbours want to hold a lynch party, and I really, really can't blame that on Pidgeman.

Being truthful, I feel I've heard Pidgeman do better tracks but again, that's a matter of taste and I don't particularly like this style. Pidgeman, of course, does a sterling job of putting both song and lyrics across, especially in that all important chorus. Personally I'd like to hear this track done by someone who could really tear it up. Pidgeman does a more than adequate job nailing it but I can't help thinking that a weeper and wailer would have helped it power-wise. There again, that's just me wanting the best of everything and certainly nothing that Pidgeman should be worrying about. I can see this getting tremendous airplay though - it's that kind of track.

Highly Recommended pop rock.