Rating: ***1/2
Pittsburgh-based singer and actor, Matt Westin comes to my inbox with a fairly recent release called "Legacy".
Only active since 2016, it was then that he began to pursue his musical aspirations due to his father's untimely passing from complications from cancer treatment. Heavy stuff.
Drawing inspiration from Cash and Garth Brooks as well as Frank Sinatra, Westin is eager to show off his wares on this debut LP.
I can't wait to check this one out. After the jump, I'll have my thoughts per the usual.
Listen to "Legacy" in its entirety on Spotify by clicking here.
"You Leave Me Choice" starts us off and the intro riff is fire. Straight country fire. Lyrically it's a pretty simple song about missing your love when you're out on the road. Really solid starter. "Don't Feel the Rain" is a slower tempo affair and it's a good sound for Westin. He does ballads well. "Good Time" and "Our Redneck of the Woods" are both solid album tracks without standing out as real killers. Both get across the "We're out here having fun in the country" vibe well. Very on-brand. "Right Amount of Wrong" is a mid-tempo affair that kinda gets lost in the fray. It isn't bad, but it's just not really memorable. "Too Many Mondays, Not Enough Saturday Nights" is fun and relatable. It falls in the good time country boy brand that Westin has done well in establishing. "Devil's Door" flips a lot of nostalgia switches and possesses (no pun intended) one of the best choruses on the record. "The Road That Never Was" is slow and somber, but honestly one of the most earnest and lovely tracks on the entire LP. "Farm Town" is next and it's a lot of fun. At the opposite end of the spectrum from track 2, this one is a good old country western good time. I dug it. "Southerly" is a highlight with an acapella intro and solid verse-chorus-verse format. Not a bad way to end it.
This is a damn solid country and western LP from a talented newcomer on the scene. Matt Westin figures to be around for a while, so you might as well be and early adopter and pick up "Legacy" ASAP. It's a good time.