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April 18th, 2007 @ The Rutledge—Matthew Perryman Jones Matthew Perryman Jones Lights Up The Rutledge After the release of Cold Play's third album X&Y, New York Times music critic Jon Parales delivered a scathing critique of the group entitled "The Case Against Coldplay" (6/5/2005). Parales zeroed-in on lead singer Chris Martin's lyrics, and wrote, "The lyrics can make me wish I didn't understand English." As much as I disdain armchair musicians in the form of judgmental music critics, I couldn't help but agree with Parales on this one. I cite this critical review of the super-star group Coldplay to highlight the fact that, after watching Matthew Perryman Jones perform live Monday night at The Rutledge, I believe that he is poised to deliver the world what Coldplay could not. Matthew Perryman Jones's music recalls such classics as U2's The Joshua Tree and Sarah McLachlan's Fumbling Towards Ecstacy. His vocals are warm and crisp, with a hopeful melancholy timber—and are immediately comparable to Bono's mid to late 80's material, e.g., The Unforgettable Fire. MPJ's lyrics are poetic and metaphorical, yet loaded with universal meanings rather than the solopsistic can't-get-out-of-my-head emo so often heard today. The recent addition of Andrew Osenga on guitar and backing vocals is a 1-2 punch, as Osenga delivers in-the-pocket ambient stadium rock on his Gibson and Fender guitars while simultaneously matching MPJ's vocals with super-tight harmonies.
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