Matt Keating "Between Customers" (Kealon Records 2009)

The sound of self assurance

The biggest compliment that can be paid to Matt Keating upon slipping ‘Between Customers’ into the CD player, is that this is the sound of a man with the self confidence to know exactly what he should sound like. Keating has been around for a few years now, and has obviously spent his time on this earth honing his sound. The title track kicks off proceedings, vamping on one chord for longer than is strictly polite, yet strangely sounding exactly as the listener would want it to.

‘Better Than That’ is another high point featuring a vocal slightly reminiscent of Ryan Adams, and some sumptuous strings. Then when Keating sings, "I drove 700 miles, just to see you smile", on 'Louisiana', everything seems right with the world. As ‘Between Customers’ unfurls in front of the listener it reveals myriad charms. Keating’s stock in trade revolves around simple picking and melodies that sound as timeless as the hills.

It would be fair to say that this reviewer has fallen for the charms of this album. Keating is not reinventing the wheel, and tends to stay inside standard singer song-writer parameters, but sometimes that is enough to lift the spirits and restore a jaded reviewer’s faith in new music. Fans of Josh Rouse, Josh Ritter and their ilk will find much to enjoy here.

Date review added:  Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Reviewer:  Dan Wilkinson
Reviewers Rating:
Related web link:  Artist Website