ANGIE MATTSON Skeleton Arm (Radio Nine)
LA-based singer-songwriter Mattson seems to possess all the superficial elements required to be noticed in the modern pop-rock scene. She’s certainly easy on the eyes (as her previous modeling history attests) and the ears (her sultry larynx brings to mind Margo Timmons, Aimee Mann and Chrissie Hynde) but to her immense credit, Mattson refuses to bank on these assets solely.
Instead of merely investing in pop fluff (the kind that makes the world go round), Mattson (on this mini-album, her sophomore effort), gets rough, ready and rustic with swampy country-folk blues that are at turns arcane and earthy. For me, integrity is the mark of a true artist and listening to Skeleton Arm, you cannot help but struck by Mattson’s attitude and purpose.
So it may take a little more time to truly get into some of these songs but the rewards are worthwhile. If you, like me, consider yourself a rock scholar, then you know what the roots of our beloved music are. So does Mattson obviously, as she builds her back-to-basics Americana on tribal rhythms and the primal allure of the clash of country music and the blues.
Think: the deeper bluesier moments of Bob Dylan, CCR, the Doors and the Stones and you’ll start to get at what Mattson is alluding to. This power is evident in songs like Cool Water and Mary, where Mattson sings about this strange existence we call life with internal rhythms driven by an almost-funeral dirge.
Skeleton Arm may only last for 28-odd minutes but it represents everything that I believe about good ol’ country-folk-blues as the most soulful music on our planet. Personally, I am excited that I get the chance to watch Mattson when she plays at TAB Singapore from 3rd to 8th August. More info about that at www.tab.com.sg.
In the meantime, check out Angie Mattson at www.angiemattson.com.
