What is this? It's acoustic reggae island music. Hmmm...my brain is wired to not like acoustic reggae island music. I really did not want to like this record. I tried to will myself into not liking this record. I sat for hours on my porch pondering just what it would mean if I liked this record. Truth be told, I like this record.
Matt Jennings is an outstanding guitar player. He has vast instrumental chops that usually mean extreme overplaying. In his case it's just isn't so. Every part he plays fits perfectly into the context of his laid back songs. The playing on the album sounds like a well-rehearsed band, which makes it all the more thrilling to see he played all instruments on the album except upright bass, which was handled by Chris Morrissey.
Songs such as When Two Become One and Two Faces highlight the album with straight ahead lyrics that you can relate to. Globetrekker is a story about someone who can't be tied down because they're constantly on the move, which seems to be the story of Jennings after reading his bio about his time living in China where he taught English and expanded his musical and cultural palate.
Jennings enlisted Chad Weis at Devils Workshop Sound Studio (Murzik, Red Phone Dispatch) for engineering and mixing duties and it was a good move. The sparse sound is inviting and would make great listening on an afternoon on the porch or on your cd player at the office. I recommend this disc!
www.mattjenningsmusic.com
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