In the video for Matchstick Girl, Joel Sarakula stalks a cute redhead. The girl looks flirty and up for the chase, as well she might as her pursuer - a healthy looking blonde - looks pretty cute himself. Appropriately enough, the music he's promoting is equally clean-cut and unthreatening.
Sarakula is a well travelled Australian who has being playing solo on the piano bar circuit in Europe and the USA, and doing pretty nicely by all accounts.
In the mid 80s he released a debut album of bittersweet ballads - Souvenirs - using his full name. Now he's shed his Christian name, perhaps after one too many requests for Billy Joel's Piano Man.
The thirteen songs on City Heart are melodic and radio friendly with vocals which frequently reminded me of the Zombies' Colin Blunstone. This is probably a reflection of how the music sounds more in tune with the carefree city beats of the sixties than the mean streets of the noughties.
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A girl named Marlene, in the song of that name, is described as "fucking mean" but this is about as edgy as it gets. Jaunty, clap along tracks like Caught In The Middle are more representative of the mood.
This batch of songs are like a bag of sticky sweets, if you consume too many at once you'll feel a little sick - taken a few at a time they taste just fine.
Sarakula's website
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