Review: Matt Andersen ‘The Hammer & the Rose’

Review: Matt Andersen ‘The Hammer & the Rose’

By Hal Horowitz

It has taken nearly twenty years of touring, releasing quality soul/blues albums, playing every club in the US that would have him and nabbing a passel of international awards, but Canadian singer/songwriter Matt Andersen has, as of 2023s ‘The Big Bottle of Joy’, finally made substantial inroads into the key market south of his homeland.

So, it comes as something of a surprise that the burly voiced Andersen would alter his direction on this follow-up two years later. According to the notes, Andersen’s producer/percussionist Joshua Van Tassel suggested the singer scale back the supporting musicians to feature his husky, expressive vocals on a set of stripped-down, mostly acoustic ballads.

The resulting ten song set titled ‘The Hammer & the Rose’ does exactly that to impressive effect. Andersen’s robust, beefy voice works wonderfully in this less intense environment. Certainly the concept isn’t new. After all, some of Joe Cocker’s most popular, and arguably finest, performances were when he downshifted into less bellicose mode.

Andersen is joined by a five-piece band that keeps the soul burning on low-boil. Eight tracks are newly penned, most co-written with others. A lovely version of JJ Cale’s bittersweet “Magnolia” impeccably displays this disc’s laid-back, unruffled tone, one that incorporates county, folk and blues into beautifully crafted gems perfect for late Saturday night (post-party) or relaxing Sunday morning listening.

A few upbeat selections such as the bluesy Cale-infused loping shuffle that bubbles under “Wayaheadaya” and the toe-tapping slow simmering funk of the mostly instrumental “The Cobbler (Good for My Soul),” which lets the band unleash their talents with a Booker T. and the MG’s approach, energize the proceedings. “You’re Here to Stay” brings a subtle smolder to a love song praising his lover for letting him unwind in peace with “There’s just too many people filling up the air..come and take me by the hand/Let me hear your voice.”

Still, this is a showcase for Andersen’s more emotionally laced side, introduced with the opening title track. “The longer I listen/The less I learn/Seems the further I go/The more bridges I burn” he admits in a voice barely above a whisper. Backing musicians, especially Christine Bougie’s scorching lap steel, fall in with barely there accompaniment, framing and enhancing the singer’s surging voice. Elsewhere Andersen stays in that reflective mode with songs such as the self-descriptive “Stay at Home With You,” “Tonight Belongs to You,” and “Hold on to Me.”

Even if those titles seem to edge into clichéd territory, Andersen’s vivid and heartfelt pipes make everything feel alive, candid and authentic. A softly strummed acoustic guitar is the only accompaniment on the closing “Always Be Your Son,” an earnest, undiluted paean to his dad. It’s tough not to shed a few tears hearing the words “Time has beaten on your body/Left you feeing old/But you’re still the same to me dad/The strongest man I’ve ever known” sung with obvious tenderness and affection, as if he’s in the room with you and his father.

The gentle giant style displayed for ‘The Hammer & the Rose’ is likely a temporary side road from Andersen’s typically more vibrant bravura. But it’s a magnificently touching one, showing how his dynamic voice can be as effective, perhaps more so, in service to tamped-down yet poignant music and lyrics that cling closer to the heart.

Watch “The Hammer & The Rose”