Philadephia’s Josh Matthews is set to release his debut album, A Sides, January 14th. Recorded in Nashville at Boutique Studios, it has made for the perfect setting for Matthews’ ‘Urban Folk,’ juxtaposing the country of Tennessee with the industrial sounds of Philly. Borrowing everything from hip hop to Jackson Browne, Matthews has learnt well from the past while making his own path, separate from his contemporaries.
A Sides owes a lot to the folk revivalists of the 60s, but instead of the traditional return of artists like Doc Watson or the collegiate folk of The Highwaymen, there are more hints of the experimental folk of artists like Leonard Cohen or Karen Dalton. In all actuality, while the sounds of folk are Matthews’ building blocks, it’s clear he’s also influenced by outcasts like The Fugs, Captain Beefheart, and his sometimes-used spoken-word delivery is a clear descendant of poets like Richie Havens and Gil Scott-Heron.
While the majority of the songs like “With A Sound” and “The Best That I Have” are more pleasing on the ears and quite beautifully melodic, Matthews will sometimes use a jarring, dissonant syncopation as on “Lockdown” to keep you on your feet. It’s songs like these that shake you from making this music background noise and actually listen to what he has to say. Matthews uses a wide palette of sounds, percussion, and interesting harmonies to make the folk music he’s rooted in a mere introduction.
It’s clear he’s learnt well from Cohen, because while many try to imitate him, few truly get it as Matthews has. Many simply imitate the slow crawl of Cohen’s spare guitar, but many more forget to pick up his even sparser accompaniment that enhances the overall atmosphere of the setting he so carefully created. Cohen would create a musical soundscape of sorts, and Matthews has so deftly and intelligently picked up on this.
With the sudden influx of ‘folk’ musicians in the mainstream, few are as different and exciting as Matthews. Whereas everyone else is content with creating empty anthems disguised as folk with acoustic guitars and banjos, Matthews is the real thing, intent on making you think and carving his own path.
