I love the way Matt Saxton uses his music to discuss the most essential things in life — the most personal, emotive, and challenging — yet writes songs that are composed and calm, level-headed, and mature. That’s the word, the thing that sets his music apart from all the usual histrionics and posturing, self-pity, and drama, the wailing and gnashing of teeth, that seem to drive so much music these days… maturity.
And here he is again, discussing difficult times, a “Rough Patch” in a relationship but being philosophical about it. There’s no blame game, no need to dwell on things, no need to play the victim, just a reminder that life is short and love is worth fighting for. It’s as simple as that. Okay, it’s never as simple as that, but it is a healthy place to start from.
That calmness, as always, runs through the music as well, the spacious and concise piano at the heart of the song and surrounding it, guitars that succinctly weave their magic; beats are merely functional but wilfully and perfectly so. And from such elements, the music is deftly layered, rising from understatement to greater sonic heights and eventually being joined by a scintillating saxophone solo and banks of heavenly harmonies that are the icing on this rich and rewarding cake.
In a world full of wannabe popsters and excitable songwriters selling “woe-is-me” sentiments because their latest squeeze has run off with someone else, we need people like Matt to write songs for us, people who have, let’s just say, been around the block a few times. Music that reflects real life, real experiences, and real relationships. “Rough Patch,” like all his songs, is exactly that.
Exciting music for everyday people.
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