Matthews Southern Comfort – The New Mine
By John Barlass on 27th February 2020
Released: 27th March 2020
Iain Matthews is probably the finest British exponent of the
‘Americana’ musical genre. Ever since his departure from Fairport
Convention in 1969, it is an avenue that he has explored to great effect
if, perhaps, only sporadically achieving the success and recognition
that his talent and perseverance so richly deserves. Of course, from
the early 1970s until the dawn of the current millennium, Iain was based
in the US, where he was able to hone his songwriting and
interpretational skills, catching the attention of such influential
figure as Michael Nesmith and The Eagles.
Those readers familiar with the name Matthews Southern Comfort will
no doubt recall that the band’s most high-profile moment occurred when
they occupied the Number One position in the UK singles chart for a
period of 3 weeks in October 1970 with their version of Joni Mitchell’s
Woodstock. Although fairly typical of the band’s country-flavoured,
pedal-steel driven melodic rock music, Woodstock was by no means the
only outstanding example of the band’s repertoire and they were
responsible for two excellent albums, Second Spring and Later That Same
Year, both released in 1970, and both well worth a listen (neither have
aged a day!)
Iain left Matthews Southern Comfort in 1971 and the name of the band
lay dormant until it was revived in 2010 when Iain, backed by a group of
top-notch Dutch musicians (he relocated from the US to The Netherlands
in 2000) released the Kind Of New album under the old name. The New
Mine is the fourth Matthews Southern Comfort album since the name was
revived and Iain has enlisted the services of Bart Jan Baartmans
(acoustic, electric and resonator guitars, mandolin, sitar, bass and
banjo), Bart de Win (acoustic and electric pianos, accordion and backing
vocals) and Eric De Vries (acoustic guitar and vocals) to deliver an
album which expertly and entertainingly travels the path from British
Folk Rock to full-blown Americana.
The choice of musicians and instruments is inspired. The band gel
perfectly together, both in the construction and delivery of the songs
and in the compositional collaborations that dominate the album.
Compositional credits cover several combinations of the band’s
personnel, with Iain Matthews linking with each in turn to produce some
excellent songs. Notable amongst these collaborations are C’mon Amigo, a
song by Iain and Eric which contains some marvellous vocal harmonies
and would be worthy of inclusion on any Eagles album; The Hole is a
Matthews/de Win effort that makes scary references to the destruction of
the ozone layer and its growing consequences for the planet and In My
Next Life, composed by Bart Jan Baartmans and Iain, offers shrewd
philosophical tips to anyone fortunate enough to relive their life
applying the experiences that they have gathered.
The album opens with a version of the Joni Mitchell song, “Ethiopia”
(from her 1985 Dog Eat Dog album). This is, perhaps, appropriate, given
the long association in the minds of many people between Joni and
Matthews Southern Comfort. The version on this album is sublime with
sprinklings of piano and some tasteful guitar work which both set the
tone for the musical treats to come. Sadly, the subject matter of the
song – the plight of the people in the African deserts and the
indifference of the West, remains as current as it was when the song was
written, which provides all the justification necessary for reviving
the song.
Of Iain’s solo compositions, my highlight is Starvation Box; a story
of an itinerant musician which builds excitingly and which contains some
wonderful slide guitar work.
Some may question the relevance of crediting this, albeit tremendous,
album to Matthews Southern Comfort; after all, the only constant thread
between the outfit that operated in the early 1970s and the band on The
New Mine is Iain Matthews. I would, however, strongly challenge this
view. The personnel may be different but the sound and intent of the
band pick up precisely where the original band left off, even to the
extent that Gordon Huntley’s missing pedal steel licks that were so much
a feature of the 1970 incarnation are precisely replicated by Bart Jan
Baartman’s guitar. Happily, also, Iain’s melodic voice is not only as
good as ever, it is enhanced by the vocal support of Bart de Win and
Eric De Vries. The New Mine is very definitely a Matthews Southern
Comfort masterpiece.
Matthews Southern Comfort will be appearing at Fairport’s Cropredy Convention during the afternoon of Saturday 15 August. I, for one, can’t wait!