The Tallest Man on Earth

"Little Bird," the first track from Sometimes the Blues is Just a Passing Bird, opens just like any fan would want a Tallest Man on Earth track to, blooming in a flourish of sunny finger picking made buoyant by Kristian Matsson's ebullient tenor. After releasing two full albums and now a second EP that showcase the Swedish bard's musical mastery, Sometimes the Blues, written on the road and recorded during a recent break from touring The Wild Hunt, is the same quilted folk for which he has earned his notoriety, albeit shaded in a slightly more minor key. Yet there is one moment during Sometimes the Blues where Mattson makes a musical left turn. "The Dreamer," performed on a lone electric guitar, opens with a nascent, yet unmistakable, blues riff. This change in tone is exciting, for a mere moment, until it becomes clear that Matsson is merely flirting with the blues before meandering back over to his classic folk routine. But now I can't help but wonder what a bluesy Tallest Man on Earth would sound like ― if he were to go down that path, I bet it would sound good on him. Otherwise, Sometimes the Blues is yet another great album by a man who has proven himself to be a dependable folk artist. He wears it very well, but what if he were to try on a change of clothes?