Search - Matthew Ryan :: Regret Over the Wires

Simply Fantastic

09/25/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have to say I have been a Matthew Ryan fan for quite sometime but this record really blew me away and easily stands as his best work (which in my mind is really saying something).This is by far the most accessible record Matthew has made to date. He has made this transition without giving up any of the depth and thought that has made so many people devoted fans of his music. This record is the best record top to bottom I have heard this year.Ryan's mastery of imagery and the english language have always been his trademark and that still holds true. I have always been amazed how he can explain so much with so few words. The tracks "Return to Me", "Long Blvd", and "Caged Bird" are my early favorites but the record is full of standout tracks.Mixed in with his heartbreaking tales of loss and politics are rays of hope. This was also true of his last major release "East Autumn Grin" but I did not feel that many people really saw the hope hidden in that record. In this record it is all right there. He lays himself out on the line for all to see and still has hope for himself and us all. His humor is even more apparent. On "Come Home" Matthew sings:
"Our cat is sad and withdrawn
The dog just stares at the lawn
None of us are eating
I think they blame me your gone"
Mixed in with the so many heavy and powerful images, this simple witicism strikes a real needed balance.If you have never heard Matthew Ryan before I would defintely offer up this disc as an excellent introduction. I really don't rave like this about stuff usually but it is just a crime that this guy is not a household name.Carl"

Matthew Ryan's 2003 masterpiece

M. Gaines | Alabama, United States | 11/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Songs are souvenirs, for the peace that hasn't come and if it neverdoes,better still that they be sung...." - The Little ThingsWhy in the world Matthew Ryan isn't a household name amongst
proverbial aficionados of singer/songwriters and performers has
baffled me since late 97 when his first offering "Mayday"
cast a huge musical shadow, eclipsing many of the year's musical
challengers. Perhaps it was the advance buzz by the musical press hailing Ryan as the next Springsteen,Waits or Dylan tag scaring off potential listeners that sealed his fate as it has done to many contenders of the past, with stripped and barren stories lying unfinished and in tatters.
Or maybe a record label that expected mega platinum success with
bottom line results, condemning those who fail in delivering hit
records, to the cut out bins and second hand stores who deal in used goods.
"Mayday" was a bright light filled with brilliant stories of broken and torn communities of the human spirit,
seeking redemption and healing, (Lights of the Commodore Perry)
or self reflection (Beautiful Fool) that left those in the known musical community stunned by it's intensity and beauty. It explored avenues in the struggle of darkness over the trivial day-to-day battles forsurvival and understanding of what life means within the rainbow of emotional high and lows.
Matthews second offering to A&M "East Autumn Grin" with guests
Johnette Napolitano, Will Kimbrough and David and David alumni David Ricketts fell into obscurity upon release in 2000. In Ryan's own words:"East Autumn Grin was written during and after the falling apart of a relationship. At the time, all romanticism seemed challenged to say the least. Nothing seemed permanent. This record reaches for the stars knowing full well that often, it's only hope and faith that keeps you suspended in any precarious situation. I produced it along with Trina Shoemaker. I tried to surround myself with musicians that would read between the lines. I love this record. It was made in an attempt to
find the comfort in coming to terms with loss. Sometimes that's all you can do. Upon leaving Interscope, a month after it's release, I was offered $15,000 to put in my pocket or do a tour with. I chose to do a tour with Steve Earle. Watching him every night was an education".
Indeed, working with Earle was an education. Perhaps Earle's
independent and distant attitude toward an industry that breed's
contempt for under performers rubbed off on Ryan. Retreating to his garage studio and 16track recorder, Ryan would record the one work that truly captured the naked spirit of Springsteen's 1982 opus "Nebraska". With tales of rage, lawlessness and abandoned hope Ryan drew a dark and stripped down musical canvas which took "Concussion" to a very deep and disturbingly dark level of exploration of the human condition, with guests Lucinda Williams on the drunken disoriented "Happy Hour".
With 2003's "Regret Over the Wires" Matthew Ryan offers us the
culmination of the past 3 albums. Still intact throughout is his
intense and deep vocal delivery much in the spirit of Springsteen,Mellencamp, or Dylan, the songwriting strong and vibrant and his delivery more convincing then ever. Along with Dylan alumni BuckyBaxter, David Ricketts (David and David) and Fellow compadre and sound engineer David Henry, Ryan has created his accumulative masterpiece for 2003.
From the opening of "Return to Me" with its heartfelt melody filled with regret over past relationships and broken promises to his observations of greed and corruption in "Caged Bird" (" Tony Robbins boot camp,Dickey's got a new plan, It's deep pockets with quicker hands, privilege breeds circumstance") and "I Hope Your God Has Mercy On Mine" ("Unions can't be trusted, workers must unite, It's not a wage your fighting for these days, Your fighting for your lives") Ryan has created
a masterfully composed and executed contemporary musical
statement that deserves a much wider audience then it will receive.
In an era of prepackaged assembly line musical product, Matthew Ryan continues to fight the good fight. The fight for true artistic merit in a world gone awry with image over substance, ugliness over beauty and emptiness over fulfillment. "Regret Over the Wires" delivers the goods in full and that's something to cherish and behold..................... -Mystic-"

Poetic way with words

Graphic Goddess | Olympic Peninsula, Washington | 08/04/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"His voice is raspy, his emotion and sentiment is heartfelt, his words are poetry. I discovered Matthew after hearing one of his songs - "Return To Me" playing in the background on a favorite television show.. He reminds me of a combination of other gifted artists - Dylan, Reed and Shawn Mullins. This disc is worth repeated playings.. and grows on you every time."