REVIEW: Matt Bauer - The Jessamine County Book of the Living

Matt Bauer - The Jessamine County Book of the Living
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"Magical."

It’s a word that’s thrown around a fair amount. Some might associate it with fairy tales, cartoon mice, or a beautiful piece of music. But what does it really define? That which is magical is often something fanciful, or elaborate, capturing attention with immense detail; a marvelous web of sound that catches the listener in its multitude of layers. Then again, the purest and simplest things are often the most magical – the truly, absolutely spellbinding. When something commands every bit of your attention without a reliance on excessive embellishment, it’s quite magical – both in its simplicity and directness. Take for example the power of a singular voice, one that is so distinctly emotive and rich with detail that any words can sound rather significant.

On The Jessamine County Book of the Living, singer-songwriter Matt Bauer might be backed by tasteful, sweeping string arrangements, but it’s his delicate, gentle voice that makes the deepest impact. Bauer sings in a near whisper, his voice quivering as he trails his lines off into the ether. He doesn’t just wear his heart on his sleeve, he practically hands it to you. And while that sounds like the album is weighted down with a glut of melodrama, it’s not, as there’s great poeticism throughout each track. From the opening couplet “There is nothing but the light of morning/Raking through the fog that's gambling down the mountain” to the closing line “I thought you spoke, but the words crawled back inside your mouth,” Bauer displays both wit and sensitivity.

“Useless Is Your Armor” begins in a hushed form with a winding, fingerpicked electric guitar riff, growing on the entrance of brass, strings, and vibraphone until it reaches a humble but determined march. “Blacklight Horses” is a silencing duet between Bauer and the wonderful Texas singer Jolie Holland that is, easily, one of the most beautiful and well-arranged songs of the year. “Poplar Trees” features Bauer’s voice and a banjo backed by interjections of flute and the cold chill of an electric guitar; it's a haunting ode to change.

With a string section, horns, banjos, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and various other instruments pressing Bauer’s voice right up against your heart, The Jessamine County Book of the Living moves with the grace of a gentle breeze floating through the flowers and high grass of a wide open meadow. It’s an album of strong chamber folk that’s truly moving in its ability to pull such enthralling, intimate performances into a larger, flourishing, and more expansive landscape – only magnifying the passion that inspires each song. The music is marked by a quiet dignity – and a consideration for the power of silence – and it is true testament to the strengths of one man’s vision (Bauer wrote, arranged, and produced every song). The Jessamine County Book of the Living certainly has its share of melancholy, but it’s a record that’s quite soothing, as well. As Bauer sings on “When I Was A Mockingbird,” “I would listen quiet for a song that I would want to sing/Ignoring almost everything/And when I found the one I'd want/It made me feel so sad and so good.”

The Jessamine County Book of the Living is out now on Crossbill Records.

MP3: Matt Bauer - "Blacklight Horses"