Matt Wertz's soulful voice constructs a relaxing yet joyful upbeat sound in a mix of pop, blues and folk in his third album, Everything in Between. Each track maintains a progressive quirky and irresistible sound, marking this album as revolutionary.
The opening track, ""The Way I Feel,"" gets this album off to a great start with his funky use of the guitar, establishing his acoustic flair. Wertz's voice is beckoning and soulful, compelling the listener to feel interactive with this song. The lyrics take a straightforward approach by questioning, ""What you say we just get outta here / Just hop into my car and disappear / I know you know what's going on / What's going on, yeah yeah,"" causing the listener to be transported to a soulful environment.
""The Way I Feel"" fades out allowing the beautiful harmony of, ""Carolina"" to pick up. ""Carolina"" has a slightly country feeling to it, and Wertz's voice blends perfectly with the upbeat background music. It is not clear if Wertz is singing to the Carolina states or to a girl named Carolina, but it doesn't matter because the bass guitar is expertly manifested into every corner of this enriching ballad.
At times, it is apparent that Wertz resembles his peers John Mayer, James Blunt and Gavin DeGraw; however, his vocal range is superior to any of these artists. Wertz is innovative and not afraid to experiment, which results in new and fresh sounds.
""Like the Last Time"" manifests his upbeat sound, but the song is much darker and the music is all over the place. Wertz deliberates over a lover that slipped through his hands by pleading, ""I can't tell you what you mean to me / You're my constant, my consistency / People are changing, barely recognize this town."" The optimistic guitar tone allows for a sense of hope, and by the time the song ends, the listener will beg for more.
""With You, Tonight"" starts off much slower than ""Like the Last Time,"" but gradually picks up to a wonderfully constructed chorus. Wertz's voice is mesmerizing, and his use of a keyboard background is an attempt to distinguish this track from others. The lyrics lack originality and seem to be recycled from previous songs, but the track is authentic and artistically very creative.
Matt Wertz mixes different genres like bluegrass, jazz, soul and pop into a beautiful recipe of unique sounds and lyrics. This Nashville-based star has staked his claim in the music industry as a cutting edge and soulful singer-songwriter. Every intricate detail of this album marks it as one of the most powerful and must-have albums of the year.
