Description
Dark Matter is arguably the most focused album yet in the distinguished solo recording career of Shane Howard, one of the most enduringly engaging and socially conscious Australian singer-songwriters of the past 40 years.
Strong and occasionally scathing in message and metaphor yet softened by his mellifluous voice, ear for a melody and poetic words, it hits with a velvet glove while hammering out some home truths. Dreamtime legends and biblical citations sit in synch with eco-political concerns, historical and cultural references, and various collaborations. Among the sound of thunder and rain that bookends Dark Matter and storm clouds of despondency are bursts of sunshine, optimism and expressions of love in the shape of a pair of exquisite strings-laced, female-accompanied ballads, Wild Rivers and The Sweetest Thing.
