Matt & Toby - Matt & Toby

Side projects that involve the front-man from a band as the front-man of the side project are tricky. Even if the genre of music is something completely different, if the vocalist has a distinct voice, it's going to sound similar to people. It's not always a bad thing.

Enter Matt & Toby, the side project of Emery's front-man Toby Morrell and guitarist Matt Carter. On a shallow level, Matt & Toby's debut is an acoustic, less grand version of Emery's I'm Only a Man. But like I said, that's cheap and shallow.

Life of The Party kicks off the record and it's a fun song about having a good time. Plays In My Head, Prodigal Sons and Daughters, and Sunday Morning February 12th almost sound like an Emery b-sides. The instrumentation is different but the arrangement and lyrics sound like if you replaced the acoustic guitar with an electric, you'd have an Emery song. Take Me Oh Lord In Thy Hands is a great worshipful song. Songs like You Will Sing, Oh No, Good Boys, and Come Home are songs that, with the exception of Morrell's vocals, don't sound like they would have any place in Emery's discography, which isn't a band thing. The arrangements are perfect, soft-sproken with great melodies.

Yes, Emery fans will probably love Matt & Toby and non-Emery fans might find Matt & Toby as a gateway drug into becoming an Emery fan. But Matt & Toby is more than just Emery lite. The duo steps out from what they're comfortable with to create simple arrangements with great melodies and strong lyrics. Matt & Toby might not sound like a band taking a risk, but stepping out from Emery is a risk. And Morrell and Carter do a great job of creating something new.