Melbourne's Nick Murphy successfully combines two distinct strengths on his debut album: He has a crooner's set of pipes, a voice that knocks out soulful vocal hooks with ease. He is also a dexterous electro-soul shape-shifter when the microphone is off, a producer with a decent line in slinky, sleek, slo-mo grooves and moods. While a cover of
No Diggity
first gained him traction, Murphy's own tunes do all the showboating here. He's adept at both languid, lush scene-setting (see
Release Your Problems
for tropical jazz intrigue and
Cigarettes and Loneliness
for tender, small hours moods as Murphy channels his inner Nightmares on Wax) as well as more adventurous putting around
(Blush
has a bang of Dan Snaith off its oxters). As modern pop albums go,
Built on Glass
comes with all the right angles and accoutrements. chetfaker.com
Download:
Blush, Cigarettes and Loneliness