Mattei, Maurice / Dead Rails
Album: Dead Rails   Collection:General
Artist:Mattei, Maurice   Added:Sep 2005
Label:Markey Records  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2005-11-20 Pull Date: 2006-01-22
Week Ending: Jan 22 Jan 8 Dec 25 Dec 18
Airplays: 1 1 2 1

Recent Airplay
1. Mar 11, 2006: Carpetbaggers!
When Did I Surrender?
4. Jan 05, 2006: chauncy sunderland's hour with Chauncy Sunderland
When Did I Surrender?
2. Feb 10, 2006: The Ground State
When Did I Surrender?
5. Dec 23, 2005: The Ground State
When Did I Surrender?
3. Jan 20, 2006: The Ground State
That's Close Enough
6. Dec 21, 2005: The Ground State
When Did I Surrender?

Album Review
Josh
Reviewed 2005-11-10
genauer@math.stanford.edu

Folk. Just M. Mattei singing and his guitar work on all tracks. Nothing else. Lyrics are main focus. His singing voice is strong, unadorned, and clear with very occasional soft country twang. Vignettes, often told in 1st person, and they have a concrete message and/or paint a picture. His guitarwork features a lot of strumming and picking. It is both rhythmic and robust. His guitarwork is very busy to both good and bad effect. No FCCs.

Picks 2, 12, 14.

1) about how life throws curveballs and dealing with it.
**2) a waltz. one of few songs with a not-everyday kind of story. Nice melody.
3) 6/8 time. slow. lazy, peaceful and resigned.
4) angular guitar. about chance meeting between quirky woman.
5) bluesy. As it turned out, George was enlisted in the army.
6) depressing. about washed up guy with girlfriend troubles to boot.
7) guitar has anxious, threatening feel. about tough neighborhood in Detroit.
8) sparser more elegant guitar. about unhappy rich, refined people living in ivory tower.
9) as per song title "My Baby Left Here Walkin'"
10) herky-jerky guitar.
11) song about watching loser and wondering if songwriter might end up like him.
*12) Interesting rhythm with guitar, almost drunk and brash.
13) slower song guitarwork reminiscent of that in "Thug's Mansion".
*14) sad, quiet, sleepy song about death. more subtle guitar on here

Track Listing
1. Breakdown Lane   8. The Palace Roses
2. When Did I Surrender?   9. My Baby Left Here Walkin'
3. Southern Lean   10. Big Bells Ring
4. Bridgetown Girl   11. Someday, That'll Be Me
5. Whatever Happened To George?   12. You'd Be Wrong
6. Dead Rails   13. Better Put Cassandra Down
7. Old Detroit   14. That's Close Enough