For all the damage done to the whole acoustic singer/songwriter movement in recent years by the depressingly bland likes of Dido, David Gray and James Morrison, in the right hands, the results can still be mesmerising and truly special.

Stillman in one of those artists, this a singer/songwriter who can wring genuine emotion from the simplest of ideas, latest single JACK-IN-A-BOX another example of his talent for understated brilliance.  Gently finger picking an acoustic guitar, Stillman gradually builds to a deliciously mesmerising chorus before unleashing a more rich and textured sound that belies his position as a solo artist.

JACK-IN-A-BOX finds Stillman on solidly firm footing, another single that reveals him as a singer/songwriter with the talent and personality to completely engage.

Spine tingling' …The two words that come up time and again to describe so aptly the musical genius that is Stillman. For so many, that shiver down their back confirms love on first listen.

Conventional wisdom would have you believe that it takes a collective such as Coldplay, Radiohead or Keane to produce the best music. Stillman defies the very reason bands exist. On first listen you'd been forgiven for thinking this was the magic of a four-piece supergroup but Stillman is just one man, Chaz Craik.

As a teenager he hung out with Banksy but they took very different creative paths with Chaz going through many different bands, haircuts and Oxford Uni. He started life as a bass player, then became a classical guitarist, lead guitarist, songwriter, sound engineer, electro producer, songwriter again. Finally it all made sense and Stillman was born. An immaculate musical conception some say.

His break came with an unsigned feature on Xfm, followed by huge critical acclaim for his debut EP 'Weightless'. Fans and the media alike began salivating for the album. Like many of his peers recently, Stillman chose an Indie label over interest from the majors. His forthcoming album "People Like A Happy Ending" will be released on TRL Music, following the successful release of 'Helium' by Urban Myth Club. With just a hint of a release date, the buzz hit Hollywood as music supervisors and directors began to devour the material in a feeding frenzy. With rising fortunes, come mixed feelings for Chaz, "I grew used to the songs living only in my head - it's strange to see them out in the big wide world leading their own lives."

It is all too easy to pigeonhole Stillman's music alongside the million-sellers that inhabit most collections, but there is that something which you simply cannot put your finger on. Maybe it is the soaring and powerful vocal harmonies, the undeniably melodic hooks, the upbeat yet deceptively dark lyrics? The media always revert to emotion:

'Very, very few singer-songwriter induce so many shivers. It's as if Elliot Smith and Tom McRae got together to make the music they can't quite do on their own.' Channel 4 (Record of the Week)

'To walk from this unaffected is to not love music at all. Without doubt one of the finds of the year.' Losing Today

'If you like Nick Drake, Coldplay, Doves, Elbow, Turin Brakes, you will fall in love with Stillman and never let him out of your life. One of the most beautiful pieces of music this year.' A Musical Priority

'A spine-tingling work of art,' Record Overplayed

The underground have already embraced Stillman as their own but it may be a short-lived love affair if the big wide world gets its own way.

Stillman>http://www.stillman.mu/