Search - Matt Schwartz :: The Lost Way

Five of the album's songs are Matt Schwarz originals, with varying styles: the bouncy, crowd-pleasing title track, with it's English fairy tale lyrics; the modern folk of "Seasons", the Celtic-influenced, poetic "I Long To Feel A Gentle Breeze"; the haunting, chromatic "To The Distant Beloved"; and the multi-part mini-epic "The Faerie Queene". These songs focus on the guitar/vocal arrangements of Matt's live performances, with occaisional flute & mandolin. Matt also includes two original instrumentals - the medieval-sounding guitar solo "The Woode So Wylde" and the Irish-influenced flute solo "Farewell & Fare-thee-well", written in memory of Matt's grandfather, David Curtis Amidon. The remaining 4 songs are traditional. "Scarborough Faire" features a duet with Cheryl Bonnie Filipak (whose lovely soprano was a part of Sacred Fool for a while), and is accompanied only by the haunting drone of the dulcimer. "Robin Hood & Little John" is a bouncy, 7-minute centuries-old epic ballad. Matt illustrates the tale with a jig and reel on the flute for the quarterstaff battle and a gentle mandolin solo for the slow part. The overall effect is reminiscent of a Fairport Convention epic ballad, with the rock elements taken back out! "Little Katie" again features a duet with Bonnie, with harmony flutes and cello. The medieval feel of this ancient Scandinavian narrative ballad is emphasized by the use of harp in place of guitar. "Lord Lovel" is a lovely tragic ballad, richly arranged with contrapuntal harmony flutes and 'cello.