Matthew E. White Fresh Blood

Domino

From his Richmond, Virginia home, Matthew E. White scored a genuine modern classic with his 2012 debut album, Big Inner. Its beguiling concoction of Gospel, Soul, Folk and Rock is now considered one of the great modern Americana records. After a period of extensive touring following the runaway success of the debut, the amiable White is back for a follow-up, the delicious and enticing Fresh Blood. The new record is bolder, more confident and louder than its predecessor. With a full choir, a booming brass section, dazzling horns and shimmering strings at the centre of the record, the sound is adventurous, full of colour and rich in personality. Continuing White’s progressive, 21st century attitude, Fresh Blood mixes ethereal orchestral Rock, modern Soul, Gospel, Folk and contemporary Pop with an easy coolness that lingers throughout the music. It is lyrically and thematically expansive too, drifting between discussions on sexual abuse in the church, the passing of Phillip Seymour Hoffman and rebound sex, for example.

The record is deftly arranged, oozing sophistication throughout but also bubbling with a joyous, enthusiastic spirit of the celebration of life. There are moments of reflection and agony along the journey, but they manifest in an ultimately heart-warming aesthetic. A sublime follow-up record, Fresh Blood is the work of a forwardthinking artist expressing his unquenchable lust for life. Tom Jones

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9/10