Matthew E. White "Big Love"

Matthew E. White
"Big Love"
From the upcoming album 'Big Inner'
Out 8/21/12 on Spacebomb and Hometapes.

www.matthewewhite.com
www.spacebombrecords.com
www.home-tapes.com

Also on Soundcloud:
Matthew E. White "One of These Days" by Matthew E. White

The world of Matthew E. White unfolded out of the mingled sands of Virginia Beach and Manila, the youngest son in a family that raised him barefoot between the blurred racket of that far eastern jungle city and the backyard lightning-bug-hum of a trimmed southern lawn. When the earth shifted into his shape, there was already a deep sonic archaeology. The dusts of the Delta had swirled into Rock and Roll. King Tubby was dubbing. Terry Riley was overdubbing. Caetano Veloso had just turned 40. Muddy Waters was just about gone. Jimmy Cliff had had sung "Many Rivers to Cross." So had Harry Nilsson. White shared this common inheritance. He stitched his own flag out of it.

'Big Inner' begins with "One of These Days" -- looking in, up, and over in its declarations of love. It's waking up next to someone. It's feeling the wood of the church pew on your back. "You give me joy like a fountain deep down in my soul." You can hear him breathe in. The first time around, White only hums the chorus. Hums it. Plants it in your head as it blooms in his. You can call it soul music if you want. It's his soul and it's his music.

Recorded in Richmond, VA, White's home and the epicenter of Spacebomb, the label and adjacent group of musicians radiating from a core House Band, 'Big Inner' terraforms a new history in seven songs. "Big Love," the album's whopping second track, evolves the serenade of the opener into an all-out field holler. The vibe is farmed by Trey Pollard's cinematic string arrangement, Megafaun's Phil Cook on near-frantic keys, baritone sax squawks, pacemaking congas, and the first appearance of a burning White guitar solo. "I am a barracuda, I am a hurricane." You don't need the seven-voice choir chasing White's voice to make you believe it, but it sure doesn't hurt.

-Sara Padgett Heathcott, Hometapes