image courtesy of Rock Rose Music

Album Review of Matt Smith’s World: Into the Light

Austin, Texas-based Matt Smith has released acclaimed CDs with his band Matt Smith’s World going back more than a decade. The band’s latest release, Into the Light, is a collection of funky rock ‘n roll music that’s good-natured, jammin’, and groovy, the sort of thing you might enjoy while lounging in a bean bag chair staring at the lava lamp. In other words, it’s straight outta the 1970s. And it covers a lot of musical territory while still remaining a cohesive record.

photo courtesy of Rock Rose Music

The album kicks off with its title track, “Into the Light,” which has a Jimmy Buffett-esque party band vibe, moreso than the rest of the album. Not that the other songs aren’t party-friendly; rather they display more rock influence than the title track.

“Why Can’t We Have a Good Time” is more of a straight-up alt-funk rock song, a little more typical of the songs on this disc, though none of the songs are what I’d necessarily call typical.

“Still Not Dead” is a horn-heavy, vocal-driven song with a seventies pop-rock groove.

“Water of Life” strikes a more foreboding tone, with the song progressing rhythmically as if with a beating pulse, with a jazzier horn line than in preceding tracks.

photo courtesy of Rock Rose Music

“Measure of a Man” recalls the ’70s, when rich instrumentation lifted what might otherwise be folk songs up to the pop-rock consciousness with a fuller sound. Heck, parts of “Measure of a Man” sound like a jazz band, a guitar jam, and a big musical theater number. I think Sgt. Pepper would be proud of this song. It’s also worth noting the primary lyric of the song, the universally true phrase, “The measure of a man is in the tracks you leave behind.”

“Make the Most of Your Life” is a funky, bluesy pop-rock number. (Why do I feel like Fat Albert might have been willing to sing this song on Saturday morning TV?)

“Possibility” is a lighter, happier, more encouraging jazz-meets-blues crossover delight. It’s followed by “My Baby Likes to Ya Ya,” a light, playful blues-pop/rock number, the fun tone portrayed well by its lyric, “But that’s just her way, she’s like sunshine on a cloudy day.”

photo courtesy of Rock Rose Music

“A Change in Me” is an energetic blues-rocker. Not too heavy, not too light. Just right. And it includes a nice wailing jam toward the end for good measure.

The album concludes with “Life Ain’t Easy (And Then You Die),” a funky, jammin’, contradictorily upbeat song about how all things must end. In this case, the record ends, too.

Matt Smith’s World’s Into the Light is an enjoyable listen, cohesively recalling classic music styles, touching upon a variety of genres. So kick back and listen. It’s one of those albums where no song in particular jumps out (to me, at least), but the album is a fun, pleasant way to spend almost three-quarters of an hour. And it suggests strongly that a Matt Smith’s World concert would be a whole lot of fun. So, you know, check out the album, and if you can catch this band live, definitely do it!

To keep up with the band’s latest happenings, be sure to follow Matt Smith’s World on Facebook.