Welcome to Turntable Tuesday!
This will be the last spin of 2020 and we are closing out with an amazing album.
Li'l Blue is the sophomore album of Georgia artis, Matt Eckstine. Yesterday, I asked Matt about his growth from his first album to this one and he shared that he has honed his songwriting skills as well as finding his own identity (he'd previously been a band member). If you go back and listen to his self-titled album from 2017 (you can check out an older tune HERE) then slip this one back in the player, you won't hear the growth. Instead, you will feel the metamorphasis he has gone through.
When I first heard Hear They Stand, something in my brain clicked. I'd heard that tone somewhere many years ago. Neil Young (Out of the Blue). The same bluesy swing carries in to Honey Dew.
Just when you think you're going to drift off, the title track, Li'l Blue, picks up the pace. The Young tone is still there, but you're tapping your toes along the way.
Matt loves the beach, and while there's a great distance from the gulf coast of Georgia to Hawaii, Matt's creativity blends his own rhythmic style with the island groove in Mahi Mahi Rice.
I introduced you to Old Guitar, yesterday. This track flows a bit differently, as do Part of the Ride and This Heaven. They have a bit more tempo without losing the Eckstine signature.
You feel Matt's love for the beach again in Uku Mama. His ability to change up the style a bit without losing his core is what makes Matt Eckstine music uique.
Li'l Blue is eight tracks of soul-penetrating elixir. Take a shot then sit back and let Matt Eckstine's tunes carry you away on his magic carpet to an island of peace and joy.
I'm not sure hat-tips are appropriate here, but they're my signature. So, like Matt, I'm changing it up a bit - just for him. ;-)
I'm giving Li'l Blue:
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