Music that’s sharp as a knife

Matt Sharp

Puckett’s Versus the Country Boy

In Music We Trust Records

…

Matt Sharp

Puckett’s Versus the Country Boy

In Music We Trust Records

Recommended if you like: Tom Petty, soulful acoustic roots-rock

After parting ways with Weezer sometime in 1998, Matt Sharp established himself in the music community with his group The Rentals, but he left all of that behind and went back to his raw roots with the short EP Puckett’s Versus the Country Boy.

This EP is a beautifully crafted, soulfully acoustic journey through the soul of Matt Sharp. He locked himself in a small house in Leipers Fork, TN, away from television, radio and people in general, to discover himself and his music, and the result is a soulful taste of the talent that is yet to expand on his upcoming debut solo album. Puckett’s Versus the Country Boy ends up being as familiar as an old friend’s face and comforting as hot drink on a cold winter’s night.

The first track, “Goodbye West Coast,” is a ghostly, sad song about a voyage back to his home, the story of a small town and a friendship tragically lost. Ghostly vocals and quiet strumming adds a feeling of sadness to his Tom Petty-esque vocals that will have your heart reaching out to him as he stands above his friend’s grave.

“Some Come Running Through” is a fresh, morning-after folk-country song about a short-lived experience with a girl, while “Visions of Anna” is written in a slow and haunting manner that leaves you breathless.

The most light-hearted track on the album, “Hey, What you Gonna Do?,” a personal favorite, is a song about living and learning and the realization that what goes around comes around. Its carefree attitude lends the album the smile that it needs, as Sharp sings out, almost playfully, “Hey what you gonna do?/Your karma’s caught up with you.”

Puckett’s Versus the Country Boy is a drastic step away from any effort by Weezer or The Rentals. But Sharp’s talent surpasses any doubts that you might have. This is just a taste of what’s to come, and it will leave listeners yearning for more. ping pills, and that every guest at the party except for Riley knew about it. Riley is stunned and can’t figure out why he was invited. Three nights later, after Bob dies, Rousseau calls Riley and says, “Have you wondered why it was so important for you to be with us that night? We needed someone who didn’t know – someone to help us keep up pretenses.”

This collection of short stories is hit-or-miss, with decidedly more misses than hits. Riley has some very interesting stories to share from his captivating life, but he needs a more sophisticated writing hand if he wants to be successful as a short story writer.