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Matt Andersen: Honest Man

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: True North Records
Released: 2016.02.26
Time:
 36:10
Category: Blues-Rock
Producer(s): Commissioner Gordon
Rating:
Media type: CD
Web address: www.stubbyfingers.ca
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2016
Price in €: 1,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1]  Break Away (Matt Andersen / Thom Swift) - 2:44
[2]  The Gift (Matt Andersen / Dajla Lalia) - 4:26
[3]  Honest Man (Matt Andersen / Chris Kirby) - 3:32
[4]  I'm Giving In (Matt Andersen / Jamie Hartman / Andy Stochansky) - 4:08
[5]  Quiet Company (Matt Andersen / Donovan Woods) - 3:53
[6]  Let's Get Back (Matt Andersen / Andy Stochansky / Gordon Williams) - 4:24
[7]  All the Way (Matt Andersen / Gordie Sampson) - 4:02
[8]  Last Surrender (Matt Andersen / Andy Stochansky) - 3:18
[9]  Who Are You Listening To ? (Matt Andersen / Ryan Hupman) - 2:44
[10]  One Good Song (Matt Andersen / Donovan Woods) - 2:59

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Matt Andersen - Guitar, Vocals
Andy Bassford - Guitar
Benjamin Bouton - Electric & Bass Guitar, Background Vocals
Josh David Barrett - Bass, Background Vocals
Lenny Underwood - Keyboards
 
Commissioner Gordon - Drumbeat, Producer

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


2016 CD True North Records TND 612 
 

 
The Canadian Maritimes aren't necessarily known for producing A-list blues acts, but over a decade's worth of quality releases and heavy touring have made New Brunswick's Matt Andersen into one of the nation's more reliable performers. For the follow-up to his Juno-nominated 2014 album Weightless, the powerhouse singer teamed up with veteran R&B producer Commissioner Gordon (Amy Winehouse, Joss Stone) in New York to record Honest Man. Throughout Andersen's career, his roots-oriented approach has included elements of blues, folk, soul, rock, and country, so a venture into the R&B world seems like it should be a fairly natural progression for him. Opening track "Break Away" is buoyantly funky with a tight beat and an uplifting message that suits his warm, friendly voice. The title cut is another funky affair with a nice interlocking B-3 and horn groove that really sets the tone for the album's direction. One of the most noticeable things about Honest Man is Gordon's use of programmed beats, samples, and synths to propel the songs. While Andersen's prior recordings could never be accused of having a low production value, the added studio gloss here feels a bit too extreme. As a performer, he's the kind of guy who can captivate a room with just an acoustic guitar and that big, comforting voice. Part of Andersen's appeal as both a singer and a songwriter is how relatable he seems, and this slick new setting doesn't quite do him justice. There are a few exceptions like the dark piano ballad "I'm Giving In" and "Last Surrender" with its vintage Stax vibe, but overall, this foray into shiny studio pop is a bit of a stumble.
 
Timothy Monger - Allmusic Guide
 
 
 
Honest Man is the latest release from singer songwriter Matt Andersen. In case you haven’t heard of Mr. Andersen; he does over 200 dates a year worldwide and is a European Blues Award winner and a JUNO nominee. Andersen’s soulful baritone is a gorgeous cross between Joe Cocker and Marc Cohn and yet that doesn’t completely do it justice. Andersen’s voice is pure greatness and Honest Man beautifully showcases his talents as a vocalist and a songwriter.
 
The first single, “Let’s Get Back” has a Pat Green feel and a sweet brass solo that is a nice surprise in this country-ish track. Here Andersen muses about how his country as a nation has changed, but not for the better. On the heartbreaking ballad “I’m Giving In,” Andersen bears his soul about the seduction and allure of surrendering to another. This is one of the highlights of the album and has the potential to be a huge pop hit in the adult contemporary vein.  “Last Surrender” is a great old school R&B slow dance in the vein of Otis Redding.  All ten songs that make up the album explore both the political and personal sides of Matt Andersen. The title track with its tight Memphis groove and perfectly placed bari-sax kicks was inspired by a U.S. political cartoon, while “All The Way” takes a more personal approach as he sings about the decision to fully commit to a relationship.
 
If you’re looking for serious guitar riffing or rocking gutiar solos then you will need to look elsewhere. Honest Man is about the song. Commissioner Gordon’s (Amy Winehouse, Josh Stone) production and his use of some looped beats brilliantly serves the songs and Andersen’s voice. With songs this well crafted, all any producer has to do is just get out of the way. Honest Man is an album full of transcendent musical moments. The Commissioner’s light handed production approach to Andersen’s songwriting and magical voice might just propel him from indie songwriter to world renowned success.
 
The Review: 9/10
 
Lou Lombardi - January 25th, 2016
Copyright © Blues Rock Review
 
 
 
OK, hands up. Although Canadian singer-songwriter Matt Andersen has been making music for 14 years, released eight albums, the most recent of which picked up a Juno nomination, I have to confess this is the first time I’ve heard of him. I suspect this largely due to the fact that he’s blues musician, one with several awards to his belt, and it’s not a genre with which I have a particular affinity.
 
This, however, isn’t really a blues album, more country soul. Soul is certainly the background from many of those involved, the producer being ‘Commissioner’ Gordon Williams, whose credits include Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill and Santana, while the musicians have variously worked with Toots and the Maytals, Mary J Blige and The Wailers.
 
Indeed there’s a definite reggae rhythm to the mellow opening number, Break Away, which sports a country and Morrison-like soul groove over which Andersen’s warm vocals, float. There’s also a gentle soul gospel feel to the following cut, The Gift, a number that at times suggests a softer Joe Cocker while the title track Honest Man is a syncopated funky Memphis shuffle inspired by an American political cartoon. Politics also inform the infectious rhythms of Let’s Get Back, an organ and horns backed lament (with a dash of banjo) about how his country’s changed for the worse, and the handclappy, old-school R&B of Who Are You Listening To?, written as a pre-election rallying cry.
 
He balances political comment with personal confession, the spare piano ballad I’m Giving In, co-penned with Jamie Hartman, the bubbling Memphis groove of the mid-tempo All The Way, featuring some understated wah wah guitar, and the Otis-like slow sway of the superb Last Surrender stem from fully committing to a relationship.
 
The album ends with One Good Song, a woodwind-coloured slow waltz co-penned (as is the bucolic folk-country Quiet Company) with Donovan Woods about the songwriter’s holy grail. On the evidence here, Andersen has a store-cupboard full of them.
 
Mike Davies - 8 April, 2016
© 2016 - Folk Radio UK
 
 
 
On the title track of his new LP, Honest Man, Matt Andersen sings: "Am I mountain, or a grain of sand?" That line, oddly enough, encapsulates the bewilderment of his biggest fans; many of those Americana diehards can't understand why the Maritimes' most raucous performer has had such slow-burning success when he should be exploding.
 
Honest Man could very well change that. Its high point, "The Gift," is the rarest sort of tune: slickly executed enough to make it a radio hit, but also authentically raw enough to keep alt-country diehards humming along. Its underpinning organ notes are smooth and beguiling even if, admittedly, its "You are special" verses (yes, he really does sing that) will illicit eye rolls from all-too-hip alt-folk purists. Still, no one can deny the conviction with which Andersen sings his lyrics — especially his full-throated delivery on the chorus of highlight "The Gift."
 
His stunning voice contains obvious traces of delta blues, but also the bawdy swagger of Stax and Motown, and his backing band complement it with gloriously peppy horn playing on "Honest Man," "Last Surrender" and "Let's Get Back" (the later throws in ambling banjo playing for a truly unique combination). Equally impressive is the fluttering flute playing on closing track "One Good Song," which manages to be somehow both jazzy and folky. That tune's chorus, about giving it "all away, from the edge of the stage," is deeply moving — as fans will know, it's the ethos, the mantra, of Atlantic Canada's most famously impassioned Americana performer.
 
That's the best part of all about Honest Man: As great as this album sounds, it'll surely pale in comparison to the live renditions, just like every LP he has ever recorded. Andersen's bound to attract more fans with this release, his most assured to date. Those who go to his subsequent shows will turn his devoted Americana cult following into a crossover contingent, one that might finally be big enough for such an undeniable talent. (True North) 
 
Kyle Mullin - Feb 24, 2016
Exclaim!
 
 
 
The Canadian blues guitar wizard has gained quite a name for himself in his home country with a Juno nomination and Maple Blues Award, and lately Andersen has made quite a dent with fame in the rest of the world as well, no doubt in part to his 200 shows a year schedule. All Andersen’s usual blues, rock, soul, folk and country components are present here, as are R&B moments and drum samples that bring us into a more unexpected avenue of his song craft. A deep piano ballad, horns, and acoustic guitars highlight his strengths, and Andersen’s gospel and soul friendly singing easily match those highpoints . Though this album has sounds that originate in the ’70s, it all seems very novel in today’s indie-rock environment.
 
Tom Haugen - April 8, 2016
© 2016 New Noise Magazine 
 
 
 
Matt Andersen has been enthralling audiences with his one of a kind performance in North America, Europe and Australia for years. Earlier this fall the award winning artist once again de-camped from his New Brunswick home – this time to record his upcoming album. Produced in New York with Commissioner Gordon (Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse, KRS-One), Honest Man follows up the JUNO Award Nominated Weightless and sees the songwriter pushing himself into new territory. Blessed with a rich gospel soul voice and armed with a new set of songs, Matt Andersen found a perfect partner in crime with Commissioner Gordon.  
 
Gordon has worked with so many different people, like Santana and Quincy Jones, on so many historic albums,” says Andersen. “He has such a great approach and was able to tie-in so many new ideas to what I’ve done in the past without losing touch with my sound”.
 
From writing around drum beats to bringing in a cast of players including Andy Bassford (Toots And The Maytals, Burning Spear, Natalie Merchant) Benji Bouton (Ibibio Sound Machine), Josh David Barret (The Wailers, Lauryn Hill) and Lenny Underwood (Mary J. Blige, Amy Winehouse), Honest Man expands on what we already know and love from Andersen and brings it to a new level.
 
“Gordon brought a drumbeat to one of our first sessions that I loved, and I wrote ‘Let’s Get Back’ around it. When we tracked, we did it the same way as the others— myself on acoustic guitar, Benji on electric, Josh on bass. Using beats is something I never thought I would go for.  But it was a lot of fun and I’m really excited with what we recorded.  If I was left up to my own devices it would have been a very different record”.
 
The ten songs that make up Honest Man explore both the political and the personal. The title track, co-written with Chris Kirby, was inspired by a US political cartoon while “Let’s Get Back”, co-penned with Andy Stochansky, has Andersen thinking about how his country as a nation has changed, but not for the better. “Who Are You Listening To” was hatched with Ryan Hupman during a pre-election social media flood and emerges as rally call for people to make up their own minds and not be swung by the “information” we’re being fed.
 
On “All The Way”, written with Gordie Sampson, Andersen takes a more personal approach as he sings about the decision to fully commit to a relationship, while on the alluring piano ballad “I’m Giving In”, composed with Andy Stochansky and Jamie Hartman, he muses about the moments leading up to that commitment.
 
“The song “I’m Giving In” was the final one that I needed to lay down vocals for”, recalls the singer. “It was my last night in New York and the studio we were using was underneath a ballroom where Alicia Keys was rehearsing for a performance the next night. We managed to get the piano recorded in between the breaks of the rehearsal but had to skip the vocals.  We went back to Gordon’s studio to listen back to the weeks’ work and enjoy a scotch when we decided to take a stab at recording the vocals. This was at 1am. It was a special way to wrap up the sessions with Gordon”.
 
On one of two numbers created with Donovan Woods called “One Good Song” Andersen sings about exactly that. He explains, “All songwriters desire to have that one good song that just gets everybody.  Not necessarily a hit, but a song that when it’s heard you can’t help but listen. This song is about the journey we all take to get there”.  There is no need at all for Matt Andersen to worry about “One Good Song”. Honest Man is a watershed album full of transcendent musical moments that should elevate the songwriter from internationally acclaimed to world renowned. And then some. 
 
KILLBEAT MUSIC 2016
 
 
 
Produced in New York with Commissioner Gordon (Joss Stone, Amy Winehouse, KRS-One), Honest Man follows up the JUNO Award nominated Weightless and sees the songwriter pushing himself into new territory. Blessed with a rich gospel soul voice and armed with a new set of songs, Matt Andersen found a perfect partner in crime with Commissioner Gordon. "Gordon has worked with so many different people, like Santana and Quincy Jones, on so many historic albums," says Andersen. "He has such a great approach and was able to tie-in so many new ideas to what I've done in the past without losing touch with my sound."
 
From writing around drum beats to bringing in a cast of players including Andy Bassford (Toots and the Maytals, Burning Spear, Natalie Merchant), Benji Bouton (Ibibio Sound Machine), Josh David Barret (The Wailers, Lauryn Hill), and Lenny Underwood (Mary J. Blige, Amy Winehouse), Honest Man expands on what we already know and love from Andersen and brings it to a new level. "Gordon brought a drum beat to one of our first sessions that I loved, and I wrote ‘Let's Get Back' around it. When we tracked, we did it the same way as the others - myself on acoustic guitar, Benji on electric, Josh on bass. Using beats is something I never thought I would go for. But it was a lot of fun and I'm really excited with what we recorded. If I was left up to my own devices it would have been a very different record."
 
The ten songs that make up Honest Man explore both the political and the personal. The title track, co-written with Chris Kirby, was inspired by a US political cartoon while "Let's Get Back," co-penned with Andy Stochansky, has Andersen thinking about how his country as a nation has changed, but not for the better. "Who Are You Listening To?" was hatched with Ryan Hupman during a pre-election social media flood and emerges as rally call for people to make up their own minds and not be swung by the ‘information' we're being fed.
 
On "All The Way," written with Gordie Sampson, Andersen takes a more personal approach as he sings about the decision to fully commit to a relationship, while on the alluring piano ballad "I'm Giving In," composed with Andy Stochansky and Jamie Hartman, he muses about the moments leading up to that commitment. Honest Man is a watershed album full of transcendent musical moments that should elevate the songwriter from internationally acclaimed to world renowned.
 
Copyright © MusicDirect.com 2016.
 
 
 
Honest Man is the eighth studio LP release for Canadian roots artist Matt Andersen, who began with New Brunswick band Flat Top which, while it did generate original material, specialised in cocktail events/parties. Since going solo, Andersen has not looked back, having been nominated for a Juno Award (the Canadian version of a Grammy) and winning an International Blues Challenge in Memphis, numerous Maple Blues Awards and the 2013 European Blues Award. Recording for his latest LP was split over locations varying from New York to Jamaica, under producer Gordon Williams (a.k.a. Commissioner Gordon) whose clients have included Amy Winehouse and Santana.
 
While he made his name in blues with his deep, ochre hued voice, this is more a soulful than a blues album. Opener ‘Break Away’ marries retro organ chords with a pseudo reggae rhythm, while ‘All the Way’ wears a funky hat. There’s a soulful stance to the measured pace of ‘The Gift’, before piercing horns launch the Motown flavoured ‘Honest Man’ with its swinging dance rhythm and sharp, fast moves. Widely spaced piano sets the scene for the powerful, gospel toned ‘I’m Giving In’, leading into the whining guitar of the alt-country ‘Quiet Company’. The record saw the introduction of beats into an Andersen record for the first time, most notably on ‘Let’s Get Back’, a politically slanted song telling Canadians they need to reclaim their traditional values. A partial blues flavour only emerges in the love song ‘Last Surrender’. The record showcases the versatility of the artist and is pleasant to listen to, with ‘Honest Man’ and the rocked-up, brass propelled ‘Who Are You Listening To?’ the standout tracks.
 
Rory McCartney - Thursday, 18 August 16
© 2003-2013 BMA MAGAZINE
 

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