Quietly, for seven albums now, Matt Andersen has been plying his trade as a soulful blues and folk songwriter with little fanfare. Weightless, his eighth album, finds the New Brunswick-bred Andersen taking big steps to broaden his appeal and solidify his status as one of the country's most engaging songwriters.
There's no lack of classic, blues-influenced charm on Weightless. Tales of pain and redemption abound, especially on the rising "My Last Day" and the shuffling "City of Dreams." Yet Andersen refrains from traditional blues structures and further refrains from a traditionally minimalist feel in which a solo songwriter can often be trapped.
Instead, sad tales are masked in continually uplifting momentum: even the lounge room sway of "Drift Away" finds room for his fantastic peaks. Andersen's voice, a limitless howl, is the star on Weightless, but full marks go to the songwriters Andersen employed to co-write Weightless, who forced his songs into daring new directions.
Read an interview with Matt Andersen here.
(True North)There's no lack of classic, blues-influenced charm on Weightless. Tales of pain and redemption abound, especially on the rising "My Last Day" and the shuffling "City of Dreams." Yet Andersen refrains from traditional blues structures and further refrains from a traditionally minimalist feel in which a solo songwriter can often be trapped.
Instead, sad tales are masked in continually uplifting momentum: even the lounge room sway of "Drift Away" finds room for his fantastic peaks. Andersen's voice, a limitless howl, is the star on Weightless, but full marks go to the songwriters Andersen employed to co-write Weightless, who forced his songs into daring new directions.
Read an interview with Matt Andersen here.
