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5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
'The little things mean everything.' Matthew Ryan gets them all right. Feb 23, 2006
If I were creating a bionic singer-songwriter, I'd start with these elements: a decent voice, a knack for writing lines that make you think, a heart just slightly smaller than the mind, a love of all kinds of music, an interest in the most tedious details of the recording process, a modest capacity for joy, a gallon of empathy for the listeners. And I'd shove all that into a body --- male or female --- that might not look so good modeling clothes.
Which is to say: I'd build Matthew Ryan.
"Regret Over the Wires," Ryan's fourth CD, was released in 2003. It rather pleases me that I missed the first three; reading about them, they sound dreary. And I'm always happy to be two years "late" --- hearing about someone great years after the fact suggests that the musician has something enduring to say.
You have only to listen to a snippet of the first song, "Return to Me," to know that Matthew Ryan's a bit more interesting than the competition. There's a melody, an actual melody. And lyrics that are smarter for their seeming informality.
The voice? I hear echoes of Leonard Cohen, Dylan, Mellencamp. But just echoes. The whisper that's topped by hoarseness is all his own. And there's none of the stripped-down production that pushes the vocals forward --- there's knockout percussion here and even better violins. The music supports the words, the words echo the music: This is what a song is meant to me.
Matthew Ryan's one of those guys --- Josh Rouse is another --- you hear on alternative radio and think, "Yes, I ought to get this." Usually, you don't because, after all, you've heard the One Good Song. The thing is, "Regret Over the Wires" is sharp all the way through. Listen to it loud, listen to it soft, play it as background music, put it on during a party --- it passes every test.
"The little things, the little things mean everything," he sings. So true. And he got them all right. I like to think I'll be listening to this CD for a long long time.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Formidable talent Sep 13, 2005
I've been in possession of Matthew Ryan's Regret Over The Wires for approximately 2 weeks, but man, words can't even begin to describe just how good this guy is and how much his music means to me.
Matthew Ryan is a gritty realist and champion of the underpriveledged. He possesess a rough-hewn voice and just happens to makes transcendantly beautiful music. 'Return To Me', 'Long Blvd.', 'I Can't Steal You' and 'Skylight' never fail to send shivers up my spine. In fact, everything on this album does. This is music with soul, gravity, grit and achingly good hooks.
Essential listening.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
I don't write reviews. Period. May 25, 2005
First, let me say this: I have never written a review for any product I have ever purchased. I just don't do it -- no matter how great or awful I think a book, CD or product is. So the fact that I am writing this review, maybe the only one I'll ever submit, should tell you how highly I regard Matthew Ryan's work -- and how much I think the music of this underappreciated, almost-unknown artist deserves to be heard.
In the past five or six years, a whole slew of new-generation singer-songwriters have hit the scene: Pete Yorn, Ryan Adams, John Mayer, etc. For my money, Matthew Ryan beats them all. Each of his albums -- this one included -- teems with fresh, heartfelt, intelligent lyrics delivered with a gravelly, world-weary voice that -- like Paul Westerberg on songs like "Skyway," Here Comes A Regular," and "Achin' To Be" -- captures the pain and hope of being human. If you like literate singer-songwriter music, do yourself a favor and buy this CD...and grab "East Autumn Grin" and "May Day" while you're at it.
7 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Poetic way with words Aug 04, 2004
His voice is raspy, his emotion and sentiment is heartfelt, his words are poetry. I discovered Matthew after hearing one of his songs - "Return To Me" playing in the background on a favorite television show.. He reminds me of a combination of other gifted artists - Dylan, Reed and Shawn Mullins. This disc is worth repeated playings.. and grows on you every time.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
"...So I can begin to begin again." Feb 03, 2004
I've got to say that I'm a sucker for a good singer/songwriter. There's just something about the good ones, they can produce honest lyrics woven with soft melodies and it's just something that I love. John Mayer, John P. Strohm, Jonah aka Onelinedrawing, the list goes on and on. Now that I've heard this album by Matt Ryan, I can add him to the list too.Regret Over the Wires is a great album. Return to Me starts the album off, and is probably my favorite song on the entire album. Suttle strings and percusion are mixed with guitars all creating a very hushed feel through the song. One of those songs that you can just close your eyes to and feel memories come rushing back. Return to Me brings to mind an autumn day with a light wind blowing the leaves around. Every song communicates a feeling, the lyrics are personal and very well written. Ryan has written some of the best lyrics I've ever read, he says so much through so few words. That's something to admire. The rest of the album rocks a little more than the opening song, while there are a few breaks in between for softer songs. Over all this album is easily above average from top to bottom and has some true standout songs. Return to Me, Skylights, I Hope your God has Mercy On Mine and I Can't Steal You are my favorites. I recomened this release to almost everyone, it really appeals to a wide audience and is a great album. One that I've been enjoying and will continue to enjoy for a while. Hopefully his past works will be as good or even better.
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