Album Review: Matthew E White - Fresh Blood

The opening song is Take Care My Baby, and before long a warm layer of instrumentation envelops the Virginian singer-songwriter in a slinky groove. His velvety and soulful voice caresses the chorus with a high falsetto, before the bass line wiggles the verses back into submission. It comes across as effortless, one of the finest pop moments on the album. Circle ‘Round The Sun later recalls the poetry of a lackadaisical Leonard Cohen, and Tranquility is a tribute to Philip Seymour Hoffman. Between his writing and rich orchestration, White creates a world to get lost in.