(Photo Credit - Minh Pham)
Advance Review - Matt Costa: Yellow Coat (September 11, 2020)
California-native Matt Costa is back with his follow-up to 2018's Santa Rosa Fangs and we're here for it. On Yellow Coat, Costa is able to perfectly fuse his classic folk-rock sound with tones that lean more toward indie. Sonically, Costa also taps into classic sounds that feel golden, especially on tracks like "Jet Black Lake" and "Savannah".
Yellow Coat is a landmark creation for Costa. He exhibits the confidence of Bob Dylan in his efforts on this album. Every track's lyrics are meticulously noted and perfected. It's a tour de force lyrically. While there's certainly a lot going on melodically on Yellow Coat (including the use of horns and great backing vocals), what pops most off the record the most are Costa's effortless vocals. Silky smooth as they rise above the melody, Costa shows range and technical skill that's different than traditional folk-rock music. He makes these classic sounding tracks sound good, damn good.
If you're looking for some great indie-folk stylings, Costa doesn't disappoint. However, Costa does so much more in this album with his infusion of classic sounds, paying homage to music that came before. This blending on the tracks doesn't clash, but rather feels natural as they're all tethered by Costa's vocals. In short, this one's definitely worth your time.
Favorite Tracks - "Avenal", "Make that Change", "Jet Black Lake", and "Sky Full of Tears".
Rating - 4.5/5