Canadian blues guitarist/vocalist Matt Andersen made an Ottawa stop at the National Arts Centre on Sunday night.
The opening act of this Canadian tour is The Hello Darlins, a group of seasoned studio musicians who have joined forces to create this new project. Fronted by Candace Lacina, their sound is a mix of country, blues and gospel. It was the band’s first time in Ottawa and Lacina said it was an honour to play at the NAC, where so many wonderful artists have played. The talent ran deep during their set, and they were well-received by the Sunday night crowd.
After a brief changeover, Matt Andersen and band came to the stage in near-darkness, and started the show with the stunning vocal harmonies of “What’s On My Mind” before jumping straight into the rest of the song. Andersen’s full voice, backed by an extremely talented eight-piece band including three female backup singers, created a wall of blues rock. Touring in support of his newest album, The Big Bottle of Joy, it definitely felt like that bottle had been uncorked.
This was my first Matt Andersen show, and it did not disappoint. The soul and feel in his voice and lyrics, accompanied by silky-smooth guitar playing, instantly makes you feel good even during some of the more heartfelt, slow to mid-tempo songs.
Not only that, Matt is pretty darn funny. Speaking of life on tour, his first words to the crowd were, “I’ve been wearing this shirt for four days. You didn’t need to know, but now we know a little more about each other,” before joking that since his last time in Ottawa, he had built the stool located nearby on stage, which was from IKEA, and that it had only taken him six hours.
HIs banter between songs was enjoyable and often the perfect setup for the next song. Reminiscing about his days growing up in New Brunswick, Andersen told the crowd about his mother’s “mixing” spoon—the wooden spoon of discipline for every occasion, and how these days, people say whatever they want without consequences. “The world could use a few more wooden spoons,” he said, before starting into “What Would Your Mama Say” from 2019’s Halfway Home By Morning.
The night’s set leaned heavily on the new album, along with some older fan favourites and a few well-placed covers, and even a little extra support from The Hello Darlins later in the night. It was a great evening of good-for-the-soul roots music, with an astonishing level of talent from start to finish.
Matt Andersen’s Canadian tour continues with additional dates in Ontario and Quebec before heading to the Maritimes for dates in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
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