Aqualung

The alias of U.K. singer-songwriter Matt Hales, Aqualung excels at emotive, piano-driven rock. Although an accomplished musician by his teens, Hales didn't reach an international audience with his plaintive ballads until 2005's STRANGE & BEAUTIFUL, a collection of tunes from his first two albums that introduced the introspective performer to U.S. listeners. While that compilation's title track proved to be a big hit in England, the swooning, Beatlesque "Brighter Than Sunshine" placed Hales on the musical map in America. Hales's success allowed him to record the more adventurous follow-up, MEMORY MAN.

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