I went to the Tasting Room here in Houston on Saturday night. The classy venue welcomed Albuquerque native singer/songwriter, Matt Jones, who records in Austin. He played only a few songs, including a cover of Criag David’s “Fill Me In,” before an unfortunate incident of sound equipment failure. Given the friend and family discount, I left with a copy of his latest full-length album, Passerby.

The lyrically gripping opening track called “Parked Car” presents a motivating phrase, which serves as the facilitating factor to the gradual offsetting of a dark situation. Dig deep and you might find the strength to turn things around for the better. Believe in the possibility of recovery because “life get’s hard/ but standing still won’t get you far/ it’s hard to steer a parked car.” In addition to its lyrics, the harmonizing vocals and piano dynamics make this song one of my favorites.

The last song is a brief and sweet, finger-picking acoustic. Following a string of lovely hammer on’s are the pleading words for a clean break-up. After coming to the conclusion that it is time to end a relationship, all he wants is a “good goodbye.”

[audio:Parked Car.mp3]
“Parked Car” by The Real Matt Jones

[audio:Good Goodbye.mp3]
“Good Goodbye” by The Real Matt Jones