Scott Matthews - What The Night Delivers...

   Welcome back to musical relevancy, Scott Matthews. You had a wonderful stay there back in 2007 with Passing Stranger, an album that brought us some real standouts like Elusive as well as the title cut. The entire album has stood up well since its release, remaining on my iPod for nearly 4 years now, a rare thing. His latest, What The Night Delivers..., is another very strong addition to his surprisingly small discography. I never had the opportunity to listen to his 2009 album, elsewhere, which never had wide domestic release, but even with that album his releases seem meager coming from such a formidable talent.
   It was well worth the wait, however. What The Night Delivers... is a tighter effort than Passing Stranger, which was wont to stray into musical interludes and extended tabla and didgeridoo jams. The tabla and didgeridoo make an appearance here but we are spared from the extended jams. My two favorites from an initial listen through are below:

Bad Apple
So Long, My Moonlight

The new album is available now as a digital download from his site www.scottmatthewsmusic.co.uk
It will be released officially in the UK on September 5th. Unfortunately I couldn't find a domestic release date. Let's hope this one gets as much attention here as it should.

Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean

Sam Beam has enviable facial hair. It is worth noting that even with his angelic voice and masterful song-writing it's his beard that invokes in me the most profound jealousy. It's that good.

His new album (January 25th on Warner Bros.) continues the progress towards complex, layered songs that he began with 2007's The Shephard's Dog. Previous efforts have been primarily acoustic guitar affairs and, while great, his latest is an even further departure with the addition of a full backing band. I have seen some reviews complaining that it is too much of a departure, but I'm enjoying the more complex arrangements that his new sound offers. Here's two standouts:

Walking Far From Home
Half Moon



Buy It - Amazon Itunes