Hard Luck by Matt Walsh

..the Blues.

The album also features several other very talented special guests including Max Drake on guitar and mandolin ( Big Bill Morganfield, Skeeter Brandon, Mel Melton ), Chuck Cotton on drums ( Bob Margolin, Jimmy Rogers ) and Matt Hill on guitar and lap dobro, who along with Matt Walsh, was recently interviewed in the Aug/Sept 06 issue of Blues Revue Magazine.

"Matt Walsh...Soulful playing, great vocals...It's great to hear young musicians playing in the tradition. That's the only way the Blues will stay alive"

- Paul Oscher ( former Muddy Waters band member, Blues harmonica legend and 2006 BMA award winner "Acoustic Artist of the Year" for 'Down in the Delta' )

HARD LUCK CD REVIEWS :

Blues Bytes

By Bill Mitchell

July 2007

Vol 12 Number 7

The first piece of information that attracted me to Hard Luck, an independent release from young North Carolina via Kansas guitarist/singer, Matt Walsh, was a testimonial from former Muddy Waters guitarist Bob Margolin. Bob knows what he's talking about when it comes to the blues and he's always been very supportive of younger musicians, especially if they play the old school blues.

With his perfectly coifed hairstyle and long sideburns, Walsh looks more like a rockabilly cat than a bluesman. In fact, the novelty vocal group Sha Na Na was one of Walsh's very, very early influences, and he's got the hairstyle to match. But the groove he puts out on Hard Luck is, without a doubt, deep Chicago blues. What's most impressive is that each of the dozen songs on the CD were written by Walsh. If this guy rode a time machine back to the early 1950s, he could probably line up a gig as a house songwriter at Chess Records.

Walsh is not the greatest singer around but he's certainly competent, and his guitar playing shows great potential. He's got a very good feel for the material that he's doing. It's raw, primitive blues recorded appropriately to give it a raw, primitive sound. The music is infectious, especially the more you listen to it.

I hesitate to compare the sound on Hard Luck to the work of Margolin since Walsh has his own thing going on here, but it's a fair comparison for the purpose of setting an expectation level. In fact, Margolin appears as guest guitarist on two of the cuts, the uptempo shuffle "Leaving My Baby" and the title cut, "Hard Luck." He also helped with most of the CD's final mix.

Highlights on Hard Luck include the sparse "Breakin' Up Over You," with Walsh's acoustic guitar accompanied by Rene Aaron's fine harmonica playing. In addition, Walsh shows that he's got a slide and knows how to use it on the exciting "20 More Miles."

Walsh shows his versatility on two of the later cuts, doing more of a late night, T-Bone Walker style blues, "Sit and Wonder," with exquisite guitar playing. Very nice! The closing cut, "Woody's Rag," is a foot-tapping ragtime number, featuring guitar, upright bass and harmonica.

There's much more to like about this disc; there's not a weak but among the dozen songs on Hard Luck. For more info on Walsh, check out his site at www.mattwalshblues.com or order the CD from CD Baby.

"Hi Matt: Got your CD thru Todd Glazer. I’ve got to tell you, it’s easily the best CD I’ve heard this year , and as a Blues DJ I hear nearly everything. I’m ready for your next one already. And please don’t change what you’re doing. Bringin’ you the blues,"

- Putnay Host, “The Bluesshow” KUNM-FM 89.9 ( Albuquerque, New Mexico ) June 2007

Nonzine magazine ( Oklahoma City, OK )

By Bruce Buckner

May 2007

"Matt was not born of Mississippi mud nor has he made any deals with the devil, but upon hearing him, you would swear that one or both had to be true. Just turning 30 years old, this man with the pompadour from hell, has already shared the stage with Buddy Guy, Bob Margolin, Delbert McClinton, Taj Mahal, and many other incredible, experienced blues men. When you listen to him, you find yourself wondering just which old vault of Delta or Chicago blues did he find his songs in. You just KNOW you've heard that song SOMEWHERE, but it just won't come to you. But you are wrong. Matt’s deep understanding of the blues allows him to create authentic, but original songs that ring true to the soul. It is just astounding.

Some performers sound better live and some sound better in the studio. Matt and the Maddogs are better live but the saving grace is that once you witness them live, listening to the recordings is suddenly better. When listening to his CDs the visual memory comes flooding back and it is as though you were in the room again.

His new CD, Hard luck, was produced by Bob Margolin (of Muddy Waters fame) without enhancements or tricks. The twelve tracks include some side trips into Rockabilly and Jump, but it all comes out of the same perspective, i.e., deep understanding of the roots of the blues."

Up and Coming Weekly magazine ( Fayetteville, NC )

By Kate Harding

May 2007

He’s from North Carolina, but right now young blues musician Matt Walsh is based out of Kansas. There is no slick production here. Just 50 minutes of straight-up music in the style of old-school '50s blues. The most surprising thing, if you aren’t familiar with Walsh, is his voice. For a tall, skinny white kid, he sure has a deep soulful timbre. However, it does feel at times as if he is pushing to bring that recognizable sound to his voice. A major plus, the musicianship here is fairly strong and I’m in love with the harmonica on “Breakin’ Up Over You,” one of the best tracks by far. To me, the most appealing thing about the blues (other than the lazy and hot summer alluding upright bass beats) is the heartfelt way that nearly every bluesman seems to pour himself into his lyrics. It’s all about love and loss and desperation and it’s downright beautiful. Walsh has heart, for sure, but sometimes there is a disconnect. He is much more believable on his faster-paced songs where a listener can get caught up in the rhythm. All in all, here’s hoping Matt Walsh will make his way to Wilmington’s Seafood, Blues, and Jazz festival this year so I can check out the live show.

Check back for reviews coming soon from reliable Blues publictaions like Blues Revue, Blues Wax and Blues Matters!.

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