Can the word "Melbourne" be an adjective? A wander among the treasures that comprise The Ruby Record, the debut studio album from Melbourne singer-songwriter Matt Roberts leaves little doubt in the affirmative. Whilst ranging from weightless, poetic guitar pop to knockout piano soul and flaunting influences that span several generations (The White Album, Joni Mitchell, early Billy Joel, later Neil Finn, Tim Rogers), the common thread that pulls these 12 red gems together is, well, their Melbourne-ness. Recorded with up-and-coming label Sound Vault Records in the former industrial heart of West Melbourne, this is stripped-back acoustic bliss so real and immediate that you can almost hear the V-line locomotives thundering past in the adjacent railyards. Roberts' guitar work (and I mean work!) is certainly evocative of several tons of diesel engine - powerful, raw, yet internally intricate - was this really recorded using the pickup alone?

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Hey Betty (The Great Unspoken)
2. Me and May as Well
3. Madame Ruby and the Postgirl
4. Petunias
5. Lunch with Beauty
6. Iikeh Timbo
7. Dave's Fishing Dream
8. Dawn's Necklace
9. Hilton Street
10. Esperance
11. Morning Star
12. Tullamarine