Bitrate:320K/s
Year:2013
Time:45:48
Size:106,5 MB
Label:Dixiefrog
Styles:Blues/New Folk/Rock/Singer-Songwriter
Art:Front+Booklet
Year:2013
Time:45:48
Size:106,5 MB
Label:Dixiefrog
Styles:Blues/New Folk/Rock/Singer-Songwriter
Art:Front+Booklet
Tracks Listing:
1. We'll get there by dawn - 3:57
2. Carnival train - 4:00
3. Wise advice - 2:54
4. Poodle dog - 4:13
5. Sign of the times - 4:11
6. Song for my brunette - 3:29
7. Hearthbreaker - 4:14
8. Cannibal dancer - 2:38
9. Paper cup - 3:04
10. Is Jesus on my side? - 3:26
11. The clown - 3:41
12. Sad and lonesome day blues - 3:05
13. Black girl (Bonus Track) - 2:51
1. We'll get there by dawn - 3:57
2. Carnival train - 4:00
3. Wise advice - 2:54
4. Poodle dog - 4:13
5. Sign of the times - 4:11
6. Song for my brunette - 3:29
7. Hearthbreaker - 4:14
8. Cannibal dancer - 2:38
9. Paper cup - 3:04
10. Is Jesus on my side? - 3:26
11. The clown - 3:41
12. Sad and lonesome day blues - 3:05
13. Black girl (Bonus Track) - 2:51
A brilliant album from this unconventional artist, whose "new folk" sound—tinged with the blues—evokes the likes of Ben Harper, Tom Waits, and Tony Joe White. Produced by Jean-Jacques Milteau, *Distance* showcases an exceptional voice alongside a superb instrumental lineup, featuring the tuba and mandolin of Mike Lattrell and the prodigious saxophone work of jazz musician Céline Bonacina. Mathis Haug’s album *Distance* stands out as an extraordinary musical journey that dissolves the boundaries between blues, folk, and rock.
With *Distance*, Haug charts an imaginary map that traces a path from the roots of the blues through the protest folk of the 60s and stripped-back rock 'n' roll, making occasional detours into jazz and gospel. A guitarist of brilliant subtlety, he doesn't need to flaunt his virtuosity through his rock riffs; that mastery is already perfectly evident in his delicate phrasing. Yet it is above all his voice—possessing irresistible grace and an unexpected range—that gives the entire work its unique signature. Effortlessly so.
For Mathis does not over-interpret; he embodies a life—whether dreamed or lived—that serves as a melting pot for influences gathered everywhere from his native Germany to the South of France and the blues trail. Multicultural by destiny and something of a wanderer by nature, he adopts the persona of a storyteller, in the vein of Leonard Cohen or Tom Waits. Each track on *Distance* reads like a postcard capturing a state of mind—a tale of a journey, real or imagined, set against the backdrop of an idealized America.
The radiant "Carnival Train"—a song one wishes would never end—follows "We’ll Get There by Dawn," which features a superb harmonica line by Jean-Jacques Milteau. There is nothing backward-looking here, however, even though a certain nostalgia occasionally brushes against gravity, as in "Paper Cup." The tender humor of "Poodle Dog" or the festive spirit of "Cannibal Dancer," the highly unexpected cover of Prince’s "Sign o’ the Times," and a gospel track "in the lineage of Sister Rosetta Tharpe—the nun who played a Gibson SG"—continue a musical journey that feels like a blend of the Coen brothers, Wim Wenders, and David Lynch. The scent of dry sand, the deserts of the American West, the humid warmth of Louisiana—it’s all there.
Following the success of his previous album, *Playing My Dues*, Mathis surprises listeners with the diversity of approaches and repertoire found on *Distance*. "I wanted something more natural, instinctive, and unstudied. I wrote using a variety of sounds and styles that I love." The result is a remarkably cohesive whole. Jean-Jacques Milteau certainly recognized this quality; having not produced an album for another artist since Bill Deraime in 1981, he decided to collaborate with Mathis. "When we defined a guiding concept for this project, the word 'distance' came up spontaneously because we are both reserved people, and we each had to meet the other halfway. 'Distance' evokes both the separation that keeps people apart and the journey that brings them together," the renowned harmonica player asserts.
Reflecting on what led Jean-Jacques Milteau to this collaboration, Mathis suggests that "Jean-Jacques might have seen a bit of himself in me," while astutely noting, "A producer is there to reassure the artist... but also to unsettle them a little." He concludes with a mischievous, ultramarine twinkle in his eye: "Next time, maybe I’ll make a crooner album."
Mathis Haug, *Distance* (Dixiefrog/Harmonia Mundi) – February 26, 2013.
With *Distance*, Haug charts an imaginary map that traces a path from the roots of the blues through the protest folk of the 60s and stripped-back rock 'n' roll, making occasional detours into jazz and gospel. A guitarist of brilliant subtlety, he doesn't need to flaunt his virtuosity through his rock riffs; that mastery is already perfectly evident in his delicate phrasing. Yet it is above all his voice—possessing irresistible grace and an unexpected range—that gives the entire work its unique signature. Effortlessly so.
For Mathis does not over-interpret; he embodies a life—whether dreamed or lived—that serves as a melting pot for influences gathered everywhere from his native Germany to the South of France and the blues trail. Multicultural by destiny and something of a wanderer by nature, he adopts the persona of a storyteller, in the vein of Leonard Cohen or Tom Waits. Each track on *Distance* reads like a postcard capturing a state of mind—a tale of a journey, real or imagined, set against the backdrop of an idealized America.
The radiant "Carnival Train"—a song one wishes would never end—follows "We’ll Get There by Dawn," which features a superb harmonica line by Jean-Jacques Milteau. There is nothing backward-looking here, however, even though a certain nostalgia occasionally brushes against gravity, as in "Paper Cup." The tender humor of "Poodle Dog" or the festive spirit of "Cannibal Dancer," the highly unexpected cover of Prince’s "Sign o’ the Times," and a gospel track "in the lineage of Sister Rosetta Tharpe—the nun who played a Gibson SG"—continue a musical journey that feels like a blend of the Coen brothers, Wim Wenders, and David Lynch. The scent of dry sand, the deserts of the American West, the humid warmth of Louisiana—it’s all there.
Following the success of his previous album, *Playing My Dues*, Mathis surprises listeners with the diversity of approaches and repertoire found on *Distance*. "I wanted something more natural, instinctive, and unstudied. I wrote using a variety of sounds and styles that I love." The result is a remarkably cohesive whole. Jean-Jacques Milteau certainly recognized this quality; having not produced an album for another artist since Bill Deraime in 1981, he decided to collaborate with Mathis. "When we defined a guiding concept for this project, the word 'distance' came up spontaneously because we are both reserved people, and we each had to meet the other halfway. 'Distance' evokes both the separation that keeps people apart and the journey that brings them together," the renowned harmonica player asserts.
Reflecting on what led Jean-Jacques Milteau to this collaboration, Mathis suggests that "Jean-Jacques might have seen a bit of himself in me," while astutely noting, "A producer is there to reassure the artist... but also to unsettle them a little." He concludes with a mischievous, ultramarine twinkle in his eye: "Next time, maybe I’ll make a crooner album."
Mathis Haug, *Distance* (Dixiefrog/Harmonia Mundi) – February 26, 2013.
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