CD Review - Matthew Joel - The Axe and the Evergreen

Matthew Joel's The Axe and the Evergreen CD cover art, courtesy of the artist.

Matthew Joel has some interesting songs that he recorded to form his CD The Axe and The Evergreen. One thing I'd like to say is that Matthew is a really good slide guitarist. This is evident from his song “Some Different Shades of Grey”. And he doesn't overkill it. This song is probably the best offering for this writer, but having said that, Matthew's music is delightful to listen to. Lyrically solid and musically interesting, The Axe and The Evergreen is melodic, soulful and interesting in its simplicity. The title song “The Axe and The Evergreen” is a melodic song acoustically played with honest emotions. This song speaks about nature and the comparison to the human element and is constructed and performed well. But, in a twist, the song “Hello Spectrum” is a bit on the darker side and has some edge to the music. Musically this song is bit more lush sounding with the piano being brought in with the acoustic guitar which fills out the sound. A mournful whistle can be heard in the background which is the only human voice as there are no lyrics. Another song that stands out is “A Different Coloured Sweater”. This song starts out slow and easy and ends on musical hard edge. This song consistently builds through it's entire 6 minute life. At the 2 minute mark, the music changes and you can feel the emotion of the song change as well. That is very hard to get across to a listener, but Matthew manages to do this. Lyrically, the song speaks of big changes, human nature and emotions we feel. Overall, the 10 songs on The Axe and The Evergreen are appealing, well constructed and played with emotion. I highly recommend at least one listen through to hear what Matthew has to say.

To stream or buy his songs and read a bit about Matthew, visit the following links:

http://www.thesixtyone.com/matthewjoel/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Matthew-Joel/108974785111?ref=ts

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-axe-and-evergreen/id334813042?i=334813157&ign-mpt=uo%3D6