CD Review: Matt Westin – Legacy
by Antony Bailey for Country Music News International Magazine
- You Leave Me No Choice
- Don’t Feel The Rain
- Good Time
- Our Redneck Of The Woods
- Right Amount Of Wrong
- Too Many Mondays
- The Devils Door
- The Road That Never Was
- Farm Town
- Southerly
The country singer-songwriter Matt Westin’s recent releases have been greeted with much appraisal from if flourishing fan base, not only in the US, but across the pond and beyond. The first track on his recent EP is called ‘You Leave Me No Choice’. The song is packed with raw emotion as it touches on redemption, revival, and falling in love which is sure to resonate with country listeners around the world.
The second song is called ‘Don’t Feel The Rain’ and starts with an acoustic guitar and heart-warming lyrics that many listeners will take a great deal of heart from. The song is called ‘Don’t Feel The Rain’ and includes a great use of dynamics as they suddenly increase in the chorus before dropping again slightly for the verses. The lyrics ‘’Unselfish love, they don’t feel the rain’’ suggests that being loved overrides most pain and binds people together in the toughest moments.
The third track ‘Good Time’ is moving from start to finish and contains traditional country instrumentation such as the banjo and lyrics such as ‘’All I need are a few buddies and a beer’’ practically says everything one needs to know about the feel-good factor and positivity that this song lives and breathes.
‘Our Redneck Of The Woods’ and ‘Too Many Mondays’ truly revives the country rock that country fans have come to love and admire over the past few decades. Other tunes such as ‘Right Amount of Wrong’ and ‘The Road That Never Was’ are two ballads that take the music to a serious tip for a few brief moments as they touch on reflection, redemption, and making up for a lost time as a direct consequence of missed opportunities and broken relationships that are unlikely to ever be reconciled. The use of reverb on the vocals adds more effect and emotion to the music. ‘The Road That Never Was’ contains a solo to add more emphasis and emotion to a song that leaves its audience with a sense of disquiet and angst.
The final track is ‘Southerly’ and contains religious elements and a touch of gospel which comes with the use of the organ at the beginning. There is also the use of the banjo which helps the music to remain grounded in its roots. The meaning of the music is about heading down the wide-open country road to be with family and friends after spending some time away. Matt Westin can be found on Spotify and has his own website so be sure to follow him to stay up to date with future releases.