Sometimes a single song captures an album’s essence — and
sometimes that’s even a good thing.
A clean-cut pop-rock singer-songwriter in the John Mayer / Evan
& Jaron mold, Matt Nathanson is nothing if not mainstream. That
said — here I go again, folks — there’s nothing inherently wrong
with a pop song if it’s well-crafted and finds a way to stand out
from the crowd. (And let’s face it, on a major-label debut that was
preceded by four independently released discs, you have to expect a
little mainstreaming.)
On
Beneath These Fireworks, Nathanson’s songs distinguish
themselves via a quiet, penetrating intelligence rather than any
sort of flash. While his crisp acoustic guitar work anchors the
sound here, his supporting players add enough electric punch in the
mostly full-band arrangements to sustain interest all the way
through.
About that special song, though…
After the pleasant acoustic intro “Angel,” the band kicks in
with song number two, “Suspended,” and you get the big picture of
everything that’s appealing about Matt Nathanson. To wit: an
intelligent lyric, clean production, steady acoustic rhythm guitar
(12-string, from the sound of it) under a nimble electric lead, an
excellent chorus hook and a clever vocal approach. (Nathanson
speeds through some lines here and draws others out for emphasis,
slipping in a falsetto syllable where it’s most meaningful.)
There’s more worth mentioning, though. “Pretty The World” and
“Curve Of The Earth” are a pair of strong mid-tempo rockers with a
philosophical edge that’s typical of Nathanson’s cerebral approach.
(A creative, introspective Jewish guy with a tendency to
overthink… hmm, the appeal is getting clearer by the
second.) “Bent” is another winner, setting regret and recrimination
to soft, jangly chords that redeem it with beauty. And “Lucky Boy”
has its moments weaving insights like “you’re the excuse that I use
when I want to stop trying.”
My favorite track here, though, has to be “Little Victories,” a
stripped-down, eloquent little life lesson that reads like a poem
and sounds like magic (“I’ll be awful sometimes / Weakened to my
knees / But I’ll learn to get by / On little victories”). Very nice
stuff.
If there’s something lacking here, it’s an edge. This is
mainstream stuff, smooth and sure, a bundle of inward-looking songs
about love and relationships that are both inoffensive and largely
unsurprising. The intelligence and artistry Nathanson pours into
his lyrics and vocals are what make this album rise above a certain
blandness that creeps into his sound before it’s over.
When all is said and done, this is a solid disc full of
well-crafted songs delivered with care and conviction. Just don’t
expect any real, er, fireworks…
