Soundtrack Review | Matthew Ryan--Regret Over The Wires
Reviewed by: Kage Alan

I had no idea when first listening to this CD that Matthew Ryan actually already has several releases as well as a sizable following.  The album sounds like it’s coming from a seasoned artist, so it made a lot more sense to me as to why when I looked him up.  Now, two things struck me during the time I spent listening to “Regret Over The Wires”; 1) Matthew doesn’t show much of a vocal range on the album at all and 2) it doesn’t really matter because the man is a damn fine song writer!

“Return To me” starts things off on a rather misleading mellow note.  Oh, it’s a beautiful song, don’t get me wrong.  I was very much into the melody and chorus, but it absolutely does not prepare you for the upbeat (and quite possibly my favorite track on the album) “The Little Things” that follows.  “Trouble Doll” slows things down again, only puts a different spin on the style, almost a little bluesy I think…I could be wrong.  “Long Blvd.” picks up the pace and sounds close to something I’ve heard on the radio before, only not nearly as annoying.  “I Can’t Steal You” offers some sweet guitar rhythms and it’s almost one of those songs you wish didn’t have vocals on it because the music speaks for itself.

Call me crazy, but I could swear I’d heard “Caged Bird” on the radio before I heard it on this CD.  Can I tell you when and on what station?  No.  While it’s not necessarily my favorite track, the lyrics stayed in my mind the longest and I suspect that’s a good thing.  “Come Home” features another toe-stepping beat (and I hate using that term, but it does apply) while “I Hope Your God Has Mercy On Mine” introduces a violin into the mix.  It sounds a little odd, but it works.  There’s a tinge of Country in “Nails” and while I’m not a huge fan of that genre, the song swept me along.

Probably my second favorite track on the album is “Sweetie”, which is another upbeat track.  Maybe I’m seeing a pattern of my taste here…  There’s an appealing bareness to “Every Good Thing” that few musicians can get away with, yet is handled quite expertly here.  The album finishes with “Skylight” and it brings things to a nice mellow close.  Honestly, there really isn’t a song on here that I would skip over.  Each has a unique appeal that I haven’t heard since reviewing artist Jen Elliot’s debut album.

“Regret Over The Wires” has a reserved quality to it in that the music doesn’t blast out of the speakers at you.  Instead, it relies on its own energy to move listeners rather than obnoxious noise.  If there’s a weakness on the disc, it’s Matthew Ryan’s vocals.  No, I wasn’t expecting a male version of Celine Dion, but his voice doesn’t really change from one song to the next and it just doesn’t come across as particularly dynamic.  Now, he could sound much better live and I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.  Even if he doesn’t, I find him to be an incredible songwriter and I respect the fact he wrote (or contributed to the writing of) all of the songs on the album and had a hand in its production as well as playing many of the instruments on it.

Grade: B+