Your parents are going to love Matt Harding. Mine do. But the indie-credible, name-dropping, record store-working music snobs in your life will love him too. Mine do. And the same goes for mall-hanging teenagers.
Sometimes, in the presence of greatness you just have to drop your biases and admit, This guy is really good. Matt plays timeless American music that doesnt fit neatly into a cute sub-genre tag. Maybe thats why so many musically different people all feel safe with him. All of the musical elements from Matts past classic pop, folk, country, jazz, blues, r&b soul, and more recently some heavy African rhythms have combined to create a sound that is familiar, but so masterfully blended that you just stop worrying and enjoy it for what it is.
Maybe Matts universal appeal lies in his earnestness and the reverence with which he treats his influences. Matt takes simple folk, country and pop melodies, strips them down to their emotional center, and soulfully infuses them with the contents of his heart. The result is a classic Americana sound that grabs your attention and doesnt let go until you get caught up in the flurry of feelings. Give these songs a spin, and before you know it, they will become your songs. They are really everybodys songs; Matt is just the messenger.
Matt has taken his music all over the world Europe, South America, Asia and everywhere he goes he makes new fans. He has paid his dues over and over and over again an artists doseage of heartbreak, check; nearly destitute in New York City, check; traveled to the metaphorical crossroads and cut an album with some American music legends, check; 2-year stint playing every night at a smoky club in Shanghai, China, check; under-appreciated by the music industry, so far. But the great thing about Matt is that it doesnt matter if anyones there to listen. Matt is ill-suited for anything but music; without it he would be a mess.
Purchase CD's on iTunes
