The Tallest Man on Earth

After a total of four highly acclaimed albums and EPs, it might be expected that the Tallest Man On Earth (aka Kristian Matsson) might be feeling the need to expand his sound beyond simply his voice and acoustic guitar. But then again, why mess with a good thing? There's No Leaving Now is another sweetly concise collection of ten songs by the eloquent Swede, whose nationality remains brilliantly masked by a Midwestern twang. And it's that voice that continues to be Matsson's best tool. Songs like "Revelation Blues" and "Wind and Walls" soar on its strength, while the piano-based title track aches like an After The Goldrush outtake. Matsson certainly has the talent to make the leap into the pop world if he chooses, so in a lot of ways it's admirable that he's keeping things unplugged. It only accentuates the power of his performances, an example that more than a few young singer-songwriters would do well to follow.