Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Listening to MRVSS, 26 May 2008
This is the third Matthew Ryan album that I've bought. I discovered Ryan's music a while back, and have been listening to it ever since. He's always described as just below the radar. He has an amazing voice, with a lot of emotion in what he sings, his lyrics are excellent. It's an excellent album.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
MRVSS rocks!!, 14 April 2008
Matthew Ryan just seems to get better with every album! Got into his music when he toured with his temporary project band "Strays Don't Sleep" and been addicted ever since. Bought all his earlier albums and none disappoint however, he seems to have matured with each and every track on MRVSS is a gem, ending with the wonderful "Closing In".
Some beautiful songs! Always compared to Springsteen but he's definitely got his own sound now, got into his music via Josh Rouse and would recommend to anyone who likes that type of music, give it a go!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Matthew Ryan vs. The Silver State, 31 Mar 2008
We're the iPod generation - and we've made music the soundtrack of our lives. Every spare 5 minutes I get, I will be listening to music - at work, home, in the car, on the train... it's an escape from the everyday hustle. Music is a character that we interact with and "MRVSS" has an unusual amount of character in it.
Since "May Day" was released in 1997, Matthew Ryan has been operating just beneath the radar, but you can see the waves he makes because those who have heard him hold him in high regard. Patient and persistent is Matthew Ryan's greatest strengths. World weary and wise are two words I'd associate with Ryan. His songs ache with sorrow, regret and hope all at the same time. He speaks with wisdom beyond his years, through a grit and reality heard in Springsteen, Waits and Cohen, but listening closer, you can hear The Clash and The Replacements.
Having made 11 records to date, he is both instrumental and prolific. Most importantly, he is human. Having deal with close personal issues on "From a Late Night High Rise" and "Strays Don't Sleep" (a collaboration with Neilson Hubbard) it is clear that he needs to write songs as much as we need to hear them. This is where Ryan differs from other songwriters. There is a great deal of hope in his songs. We listen to his songs looking for an escape, but we leave being much happier with the decisions we've made, we are confident in ourselves and rock and roll can still change the world.
"MRVSS" has a live sound to it, and the band has a rock and roll spirit. The violin on opener "Dulce Et Decorum Est" cuts an Irish feel, but "American Dirt" weighs a strong melody with a biting lyric. "Hold On Firefly" and "Drunk & Disappointed" wouldn't look out of place on any punk records. "MRVSS" is not without its more delicate moments, "Jane, I Still Feel The Same" (featured on One Tree Hill) and "I Only Want To Be The Man You Want" both offer a change of pace. My own personal favourite is the concluding track, "Closing In" - full of junk and regret, with so much hope in the chorus, the song threatens to float away.
This collection of songs is saying life is good. Not perfect, but does it matter?
Oh, and what's Matthew Ryan's beef with the Silver State?
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