Matty Powell

I just received the newest release, Kiss The City, from Matty Powell. This is far from a blues recording but as you know I have an open mind. Powell has put together a release of 13 original pop/rock tracks that is very soothing. Primarily (but not always) an acoustic recording with keys and solid vocals and sometimes a country twist. Powell creates a dramatic atmosphere reminiscent of some of the great balladeers. The tracks are well written and cleanly performed. The band includes Powell on vocals and acoustic guitar, Alec Fraser on bass, Mike Daley on electric guitar, Ron Tomassen on electric guitar, Michael Fontara on keys, Al Cross on drums and Brian Stiller on background vocals. One track, Insecurities breaks totally out of the mold with a pop rock track. Smoke Rings, my favorite track on the release is a sultry track with cool guitar effects and a light reggae beat. I really like this track. Again, not a blues recording but a high quality recording and one that should reach strong following and airplay. I would definitely recommend this recording for those who like quiet ballads. Powell has a bright career ahead of him. - Bman's Blues Report

If you include the 2007 e.p. The Ness Creek Sessions, this is Powell’s 2nd release. Beautifully crafted and laid back, this collection of folks/pop songs is a gathering of well told tales.

Though he calls Saskatoon his hometown Matty Powell is a world traveler. In 2009 he spearheaded the creation of The Earthship Pitaya Festival in Nicaragua, a festival supporting local musicians and sustainable development. Noble to be sure, but not worth a fart in a wind tunnel if you don’t like the music.

The trip mentioned above inspired the title song, and Powell himself refers to the album as a “musical scrapbook”, a trip through lost love in the big city of Toronto the Spanish verses of The Creek he wrote in Guatemala. Kiss The City is a great sounding album, never too cluttered, likely thanks to producer Alec Fraser (Jeff Healey, Bo Diddley).

You may find, as I did, that how receptive you are to this depends on where you listen. First time I spun this was at my desk at work, and my workmates agreed; “this is sad bastard music.” But days later, on a Sunday afternoon at home, I found myself easily falling into his web of storytelling. This is the kind of thing you throw on when there aren’t a lot of distractions between you and the music. I can’t wait for spring and a rainy day to see how that makes this album feel.

TOP TRACKS: Kiss The City, Any Other Way, Insecurities - Gonzo Online

Singer-songwriter Powell has been playing originals for over a decade, with a couple of E.P.'s behind him, but this is his first long-player. With a base in Toronto but roots in the Prairies, he has an organic feel, a lot more big skies in his music than tall skyscrapers. It's folk-rock with an upbeat feel, a fellow traveler with the likes of Jeremy Fisher and David Myles, acoustic guitar to the front, a good groove in behind, with some pickin', drums snapping along, bass slapped and a smile on all faces.

It's some sort of Canadian genre I think. Similar gentlemen from the U.K., say David Gray or James Blunt, also have sincere and rich voices, but are way, way too serious and self-referential. Sappy, even. Powell, even at his most mellow, as in the song This Cigarette, a heartbreak number, just tells it like it is with a good image, thinking of her while having a smoke, lingering thoughts making taking a drag, a drag. And he's not about to ring tears out of you; he lets that drop quickly, moving into the album's biggest rocker, Insecurities, with its electric riffs and advise to "turn the lights down low 'til we lose our..." (see title). Anyway, we do this whole guy-with-guitar and cool voice so much better, because, I guess, guys like Powell are a lot more real. Plus, this is the basic bonfire style of strumming and singing that's been passed on from lumber camps to summer camps to Gord Lightfoot to Blue Rodeo.

Mostly I like how laid-back and warm Powell makes his songs sound. Even when you find out that the song Freja is named after his daughter, and is about protecting and loving her, there's no lingering sentimentality, just a good feeling you take into the next song. And anyone who can write a song called Toronto and make it sound dramatic and compelling, well, the guy's got some talent. - Top 100 Canadian Blog

Truehearted vocals mesh with fresh, uncomplicated melodies in the work of this Western Canadian singer/songwriter. Matty Powell’s forthright delivery and his skill at couplet crafting at times evokes the spirit of an early Elvis Costello as he contends with issues of love and justice. His emotional dial turns easily from delicate to fierce, sometimes in the same set of lyrics. Ebullient lead guitar work from Mike Daley and Ron Tomasson are highlights of the superb backup. Standouts include “Smoke Rings”, “Yellowquill”, “Still Love You” and “This Cigarette”. - Roots Music Report

Matty Powell is a restless man. He has hopped back and forth across the country (and out of the country) acting in plays. building homes for the less fortunate and, of course, making music. When he finally decides to make music, it definitely seems to be a momentous occasion. Kiss the City is Powell’s latest effort, and his country/roots/rock combination sounds pretty great thanks to producer Alec Fraser.

Kiss the City is also an album that will get you your money’s worth, consisting of 13 tracks, with most of those songs at four minutes or longer. There’s a lot to take in, and it will definitely take multiple listens to appreciate the musical layering happening here.

“The Creek” was a good choice on Powell’s part to open the album, as it’s one of the strongest songs overall. There’s a great blending of multiple guitars, piano and distant-sounding percussion as Powell sings about an ideal time with a lover. “Dance me down to the creek/We’ll build a bed out of leaves,” Powell sings in his deep, slightly scratchy voice. Powell even sings in what sounds like Spanish partway through the song and the music picks up even more when the percussion comes in a little louder.

There’s also the very sweet “Freja,” named after his daughter. It’s appropriately an uptempo number with shakers, bass guitar and piano that ends with Powell singing “Shine that beautiful face.”

Powell also shows that he can do a lot with the basics, such as in the powerfully lonely “This Cigarette.” With just his voice and an acoustic guitar, Powell sings lines like “I found lonely in the bathroom of a Greyhound” and shows off his vocal strength and range. Album closer “Kiss the City” also ends the album in more or less the same fashion, with a few heartfelt phrases such as “Aflutter goes my heart and under my breath I say/’Could you stay?’”

“Still Love You” is a song that doesn’t, at first, sound like it could be one of the best songs on the album until it begins to add in other instruments like bongos and some well-plucked upright bass strings from Alec Fraser.

Then there’s also some unexpectedly guitar-heavy numbers that save the album from being another deposit in the bin of folk/roots records. “Smoke Rings” in particular shows off a bit of Powell’s guitar virtuosity, and “Insecurities” seems to come out of nowhere and reinvigorate what could have been a uniformly melancholy album.

There’s a lot to take in when listening to Kiss the City, but some patience will definitely find that there’s more to discover each time. The album is available from iTunes. - Grayowl Point

It's not available at Whole Foods, but The Ness Creek Sessions is about as organic as an album can get.

The debut EP by Matty Powell and The Resonance was a back-to-nature experience from start to finish. (For proof see www.youtube.com/mattymusic).

The band wasn't even officially a band yet when the recording session took place. Powell simply had a good feeling about the musicians he brought together, even though some were meeting for the first time. They rented a generator and a bunch of gear and headed for the trees on the May long weekend. The Ness Creek Society's barn-like cabin -- no furnace, no power -- was their home and studio for the next three days. Ten rootsy songs emerged, six of which are on the EP.

"I couldn't ask for anything better. It just worked out beautifully," said Powell, still thrilled about the instant chemistry of the band.

"Everyone meshed. It was just like magic."

No wide-eyed innocent, Powell has recorded before. His last album was done in a Toronto studio with guest musician Bob Egan of Blue Rodeo. But the cuts and layering took away from the honest music he seeks to craft. The new recording is just more down-to-earth.

"In lots of the tracks you can hear the fire crackling in the background."

Powell keeps re-writing the rules and enjoying success. For instance, bands usually form first, then record -- not the other way around.

"We were laughing about that the whole time," says Powell, who was born in Saskatoon and grew up in Winnipeg before setting out for Toronto where he worked as an actor and musician.

After becoming parents, he and his wife Shona "decided that the big city wasn't the place to be."

They returned to Saskatoon a year ago with baby girl Freya, now 17 months. They have another on the way.

"We wanted to give it a try," says Powell. "The music scene was something that I'd always admired. It has a homegrown feel to it. Everyone kind of looks out for each other."

Now really a band, The Resonators feature Ryan Spracklin, Teegan Jeffers, Sean Gallop, Brian Di Giuiseppe and Joey Lorer. The members are variously linked with bands like Sexually Attracted to Fire, The Lighthouse Penguins, Old Joe and the Truth Hurts and Maybe Smith.

Powell's wide circle of musical friends includes members of The Heartstrings, featuring Melissa Mygren and Eliza Doyle of The Cracker Cats, Lucas Goetz of Deep Dark Woods, the busy Joey Lorer (who also recorded) and Evan Dunlop. When he got the idea for a CD release party, and heard that The Heartstrings were looking to release their debut album, the fit was perfect.

It's a big leap to release the albums at the Broadway Theatre, but Powell wanted a concert setting rather than a bar. He's pretty well known on Broadway, having worked at Calories and The Yard, and is encouraged by early ticket sales.

"This is going to be great. There's no way that it's not going to be great," says Powell. - The Star Phoenix