MARIO MATTEOLI – HARD LUCK HITTIN’
2014 – Hillgrass Bluebilly Records (original release 2007)
This album first saw the light of day in 2007 but is being re-released by Hillgrass Bluebilly with four extra, previously unreleased songs that are more than worthy of being heard. The reason for it’s re-release? It is a terrific album that deserves another chance of a large audience, with nine songs being the original album and the four extra tracks being inserted at appropriate intervals rather than just tag them on at the end. Obviously a great deal of thought has been put into that because the album has a lovely rolling flow to it, with the extra tracks adding variety.
Mario Matteoli is a former mainstay, lead singer and main songwriter with The Weary Boys, one of Texas’s premier bands, who split in 2006. He wrote every song on this album including the ‘bonus tracks’ and because of the all round quality I find it difficult to believe this recording had virtually disappeared, almost without trace. I was certainly unaware of it despite being an admirer of The Weary Boys music. There is a tremendous warm rootsy depth in his vocals that makes him possibly one of the most evocative vocalists in ‘alt. country’ music along with people such as Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, Gary Louris, et al. His lyrics are at times poetic, at others moodily reflective but they always flow beautifully without any awkward moments on this well arranged, often raw, collection of sparse songs and powewrful memorable melodies.
The album opens with Come And Be With Me, a piano led, moody tale with Matteoli’s evocative vocals dominating the song but for new listeners now expecting a piano driven album, you are wrong; the man is nothing if not multi talented and with a taste for the diverse. Beautiful song though. Nothing Like You is an acoustic guitar led song that has a deep folksy country feel and then some on this wordy, repetitive, but highly addictive tale! On first play it reminded me of someone I couldn’t quite put my finger and then it gradually dawned, it is stylistically and vocally reminiscent of Charlie Parr! No Hope In Nothin’ is an acoustic guitar led composition with an occasional raw harmonica sound on a song summed up by the title that bemoans the modern political world. This is followed by You Follow Yours a piano and acoustic guitar driven tale with occasional harmonica and Mario’s evocative vocal on a song about lost love, in turn followed by Hard Luck Hittin’ the acoustic guitar led title track that meanders it’s way through the life of a young man. A beautifully written and realized song with some lovely guitar work on this title track that ebbs and flows beautifully. Finally Thinking About Nothing is a lovely homely ballad with sparse backing but his vocal performance and the lyrics make any extraneous colouration totally unnecessary. Thirteen tracks on this album of excellent songs and vocals with memorable lyrics and melodies that remain in the head long after the end of the album.
Overall the feeling I’m left with is that this is an intensely honest album and tells how Mario sees the world, love and life in general, all beautifully thought out and with some of the most evocative vocals around. It is very much an album on which the instrumentation is supplementary to the lyrical content. Will this give more impetus to his solo career? It certainly should for a man who is a top quality singer songwriter.
http://www.sonicbids.com/band/mariomatteoli/
This album first saw the light of day in 2007 but is being re-released by Hillgrass Bluebilly with four extra, previously unreleased songs that are more than worthy of being heard. The reason for it’s re-release? It is a terrific album that deserves another chance of a large audience, with nine songs being the original album and the four extra tracks being inserted at appropriate intervals rather than just tag them on at the end. Obviously a great deal of thought has been put into that because the album has a lovely rolling flow to it, with the extra tracks adding variety.
Mario Matteoli is a former mainstay, lead singer and main songwriter with The Weary Boys, one of Texas’s premier bands, who split in 2006. He wrote every song on this album including the ‘bonus tracks’ and because of the all round quality I find it difficult to believe this recording had virtually disappeared, almost without trace. I was certainly unaware of it despite being an admirer of The Weary Boys music. There is a tremendous warm rootsy depth in his vocals that makes him possibly one of the most evocative vocalists in ‘alt. country’ music along with people such as Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, Gary Louris, et al. His lyrics are at times poetic, at others moodily reflective but they always flow beautifully without any awkward moments on this well arranged, often raw, collection of sparse songs and powewrful memorable melodies.
The album opens with Come And Be With Me, a piano led, moody tale with Matteoli’s evocative vocals dominating the song but for new listeners now expecting a piano driven album, you are wrong; the man is nothing if not multi talented and with a taste for the diverse. Beautiful song though. Nothing Like You is an acoustic guitar led song that has a deep folksy country feel and then some on this wordy, repetitive, but highly addictive tale! On first play it reminded me of someone I couldn’t quite put my finger and then it gradually dawned, it is stylistically and vocally reminiscent of Charlie Parr! No Hope In Nothin’ is an acoustic guitar led composition with an occasional raw harmonica sound on a song summed up by the title that bemoans the modern political world. This is followed by You Follow Yours a piano and acoustic guitar driven tale with occasional harmonica and Mario’s evocative vocal on a song about lost love, in turn followed by Hard Luck Hittin’ the acoustic guitar led title track that meanders it’s way through the life of a young man. A beautifully written and realized song with some lovely guitar work on this title track that ebbs and flows beautifully. Finally Thinking About Nothing is a lovely homely ballad with sparse backing but his vocal performance and the lyrics make any extraneous colouration totally unnecessary. Thirteen tracks on this album of excellent songs and vocals with memorable lyrics and melodies that remain in the head long after the end of the album.
Overall the feeling I’m left with is that this is an intensely honest album and tells how Mario sees the world, love and life in general, all beautifully thought out and with some of the most evocative vocals around. It is very much an album on which the instrumentation is supplementary to the lyrical content. Will this give more impetus to his solo career? It certainly should for a man who is a top quality singer songwriter.
http://www.sonicbids.com/band/mariomatteoli/