Gordy the Moose is back! And he’s catching up on the releases he missed out on earlier this year.
Matt Andersen – The Hammer and the Rose
Matt Andersen mellows right out on this heartfelt collection of soulful roots and blues numbers that’s filled with wholesomeness and heart.
He’d started showing his sensitive side more on 2022’s House to House, but what sets the Hammer and the Rose apart is the level of vulnerability he brings to these performances and the moody arrangements coloured by lap steel and acoustic bass.
If you love the unapologetic tenderness of William Price, this album is for you.
The standout tracks are about relationships – with Matt’s girlfriend, with his father, with a friend, and with himself.
“Tonight Belongs to You” is filled with love and gratitude for the woman who sticks by Matt while he’s on the road.
“Always Be Your Son,” is a nostalgic ode to Matt’s dad from a middle-aged son who knows their time left is limited.
And the title track is a metaphor for the battle between the heart and the mind, between emotion and logic.
There are a couple of more rockin’ tracks on the album, notably the (mostly) instrumental “The Cobbler,” which serves as kind of an interlude, and Matt does a good job of integrating them into the whole.
But while it’s often argued that every album needs a bit of variety, I’d be just as happy with a whole album of these gentle, intimate numbers, especially an album as well-curated as this one.
At just 10 songs and 37 minutes, The Hammer and the Rose shows Matt knows just how to edit himself and leave his listeners wanting more.
