Review: The River Has Many Voices – I We Us Are Was Were Is

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The RiverHas Many Voices – I We Us Are Was Were Is (Independent)The River Has Many Voices is one Matthew Payne, anative of North Carolina, and now residing in the hills around Austin, Tx. Hiswebsite reveals a list of artists who have provided inspiration, most of whomare literary, though Bob Dylan and Townes van Zandt also feature. Theirinclusion offers some clues as to how Payne has evolved as a songwriter, andI’m sure there is a debt to pay, but their influence is far from obvious on hisdebut album. Indeed, the sound and style of “I We Us Are Was Were Is” isutterly contemporary, and individual songs wouldn’t sound out of place on radioprogrammes where artists and groups such as Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver and MumfordAnd Sons are heavily featured.
As the new indie-folk revival gathers pace, Paynewill surely find his place at a top table. There’s a dreamlike quality presentthroughout the record, which provides instant, lasting comfort and reassurance.The warmth of the production and the instrumentation, which includes keyboardsand strings, offers misty backing to the songs of love, loss and constantchange. The opening number “Simple Mornings” is fragile and delicate, and quitebeautiful. Piano takes the strain, and a lonely harmonica adds detail. “Our Forever Is Now” seems somehowsimpler, but perhaps it’s just a shift of focus to the song, and “The Changes” follows a similar,successful route. It ends with “I'mGonna Love You Anyway”, and epic heartbreaker, flawlesslyrealized, it closes the collection on a substantial, significant high.www.theriverhasmanyvoices.comwww.matthewpayne.bandcamp.comRob F.