Matt Cardle: Letters – review

Before winning The X Factor in 2010, Matt Cardle sang in a metal band, and wasn't the sort, apparently, who ever imagined himself releasing an album of triumphal power ballads. So spare him a thought – it can't have been easy to make Letters, with its wall-to-wall strings and lavish production. On most tracks, he's been required to crank up the weepometer on a heroic scale – the Gary Barlow-penned Run for Your Life, in particular, is schlock with all the trimmings, including a portentous piano intro and a chorus so epic it practically bursts its banks. And Cardle gives it his all, emoting with hand-wringing intensity and slipping into a falsetto on some numbers. But when he lightens up and lets his voice glide over the nimble, Maroon 5ish pop rock of Pull Me Under, it's as if he's another singer entirely – one unspoiled by the exigencies of reality pop. Don't hate the player, hate the game.