I'll be damned if all of Matthew Houck's albums as Phosphorescent haven't managed to sneak up on me, every last one of them. No matter how much I am expecting them to be great and to show all the promise of his previous releases, I'm always struck by the immense beauty and intimacy of his words and music. And once again on Here's To Taking It Easy, Houck has let his expressioned voice move us beyond the initial genre trappings of what we expect and into the heightened feelings of a close friend. And to top it off, he's managed to release one of the most effecting songs of the year in the breathtakingly gorgeous "The Mermaid Parade", an ode to a broken man, a broken family, and a broken life. And with a full backing band covering his ass, Houck and company impart these songs with a life all their own, each one a self-contained universe of sorrow, regret, and, despite his best intentions, hope. What could have been a mere country-rock distraction with his Willie Nelson covers album became the impetus for Here's To Taking It Easy, with the most eloquent use of slide guitar and country-rock tropes in years. Houck wrangles the lovelorn bitterness of these stories and leaves us unsure as to their conclusion, which is, after all, what a great storyteller does.
Tracklisting:
01. It's Hard to Be Humble (When You're From Alabama)
02. Nothing Was Stolen (Love Me Foolishly)
03. We'll Be Here Soon
04. The Mermaid Parade (listen to the mp3 below)
05. I Don't Care If There's Cursing
06. Tell Me Baby (Have You Had Enough)
07. Hej, Me I'm Light
08. Heaven, Sittin' Down
09. Los Angeles
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