Mike Mattison: You Can’t Fight Love Review
When Mike Mattison first joined the Derek Trucks Band, Trucks decided that Mattison’s soulful voice and calm stage presence was a perfect fit. On his debut solo record, that calm, soulful presence makes itself obvious. Beyond that, You Can’t Fight Love isn’t really a record that can be compared to the Derek Trucks Band or the Tedeschi Trucks Band. While the last two projects Mattison involved himself in focused heavily on Trucks’ phenomenal guitar work, You Can’t Fight Love is clearly a vocalist’s album, favouring a smooth, laid-back sound that meanders from slow ballads (“Midnight in Harlem”) to jazz-flavored jams (“Gin House Blues”) to country (“Good Luck Automated Car Crash”).
Mattison’s vocal delivery is remarkable throughout the twelve tracks that comprise You Can’t Fight Love. From his crooning on “Everybody’s Happy Nowadays” to his controlled falsetto on slow jam “Life is Crazy,” Mattison strives to use his voice to sooth, something he accomplishes on every single track. Even on the upbeat numbers (“You Can’t Fight Love,” “Going Home”), Mattison’s soulful rasp is really almost a whisper at points.
Instrumentation may not be the focal point on You Can’t Fight Love, but this definitely doesn’t mean that it’s in any way lacking. Layers of horns and guitar tumble over each other on “Going Home,” and Mattison’s reworked “Midnight in Harlem” (which he first recorded with the Tedeschi Trucks Band) keeps the subtle intricacy of the earlier version intact while blending itself into the vocal-centric landscape of You Can’t Fight Love.
Mattison spend a good amount of time with a talented group of musicians, and it becomes easy to see why on his debut solo record. While perhaps not quite as strong or ground breaking as any Trucks material, Mattison has solidified himself as a driving force in the industry with his own specially-honed set of skills to bring to the table. Mike Mattison’s You Can’t Fight Love makes for fantastic mellow evening music. Pour yourself a glass of wine and give it a spin.
The Review: 8/10
Can’t Miss Tracks
– Gin House Blues
– Midnight in Harlem
– Everybody’s Happy Nowadays
– Piece of Clay
– Life is Crazy
The Big Hit
– Midnight in Harlem
Review by Richard MacDougall
