PRAISE FOR THE COYOTE'S CALL

Matt Koger
”THE COYOTE’S CALL”
©2008 Independently Released
Review by Lucky Boyd

Matt Koger’s sophomore offering redefines his entire career and reclassifies him as a serious songwriter and performer. Koger’s writing has matured as has his vocal delivery and composition skills. Still relatively young at all this, Koger is ready to stand with those who have come before him. Lyrically, this album showcases Koger’s developmental symbolism and sets him apart with respect to diversity. Still adept at comedic cuts and of-the-moment poignancy, Koger sounds much more relaxed on this album, gleaming with the knowledge that he has the qualities required to be successful a this music thing. An impressive list of pickers don the album and John Kent is back in the producer’s chair. Kent knows Koger and how to record him and surrounds each of his stories with the needed character to deliver a stellar recording. “The Hangover Song” uses a built chorus as many bar songs do, and Kent captures it well giving the song a memorable outro that will make Koger endure requests for the song. I typically frown on what I call ‘text message titles’ so I wasn’t sure about “Me&U” but Koger will get a forgiving nod from me because the song is just that good. (even though the song’s tag is “you and me” [twice] instead of “me and you”) Koger’s subject matter and Kent’s use of the lamenting banjo makes the song a keeper. Okay, now I don’t usually laugh out loud listening to anything, mostly because I’ve pretty much heard it all before, but the song, “The Poultry Judgement Day” made me laugh on several levels. Now follow me here, I don’t want you to get lost. First, Koger is a physician. Yep, a real doctor, and he’s written a song about the bird flu. Now every doctor I know will tell you that there’s really no such thing as the bird flu in America when it comes to human casualties. As a matter of fact, in my research I couldn’t find a single case. But, in Koger’s song, his relationship is indeed a casualty, and I laughed. Now wait. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but Koger’s spelling of ‘judgement’ is the British, or overseas spelling of the word, and not the traditional American spelling. [judgment] This made me laugh again knowing that the very title of the song inferred that the subject matter was not one for Americans to really worry about. Sorry, but my brain just works that way. Get yourself a history lesson in “Mobile Bay.” “Monday Morning Blues” uses great symbolism to get a point across and the modern arrangement is fitting. By far, this album represents Koger’s best work to date and is just a glimpse of things to come from this talented performer whose stock is definitely rising. You’ll like the story of Nick on the hidden track, but it’s just the cherry on an otherwise tasty dish.

Stats: 13 tracks, plus hidden track; all written by Koger, Musicians: Koger, Kent, Barry Compton, Joe Butcher, Jason Andrew, Tony Kent, Matt Shaw; Produced by John Kent; Mastered by Jerry Tubb; single fold digi-pack, full color disc, replicated, liner notes; Running time: approximately 60 minutes

TEXAS MUSIC TIMES- Keith Howerton

Matt Koger may be an artist of some obscurity but he shouldn’t be. From the evidence in The Coyote’s Call, Koger is a force to be acknowledged. Great songs and great musicianship are abound on this record. Koger may not the best vocalist but neither are Neil Young or Bob Dylan and his vocals fit perfectly with the folk driven style of Americana that he writes. The record rocks and “humms” at the same time with roots and style. It is a delightful collection of tunes with historical and social context.

MILES OF MUSIC- Jeff Weiss

Texan Matt Koger writes stories of interesting, funny, and strange life encounters. Koger`s lyrics flow with a warm bouncy cadence. He draws from the falling-off-the-bone Texas bbq of Townes, Earle, and Clark with a mix of Robert Earl Keen`s humor. His band and production provides unadorned country that skillfully pushes his vocals out in front. Koger`s day job will keep him from ever pursuing music as a full time career. His talent as a songwriter points to an artist, not someone merely dallying with music as a sideline. -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music

VILLAGE RECORDS- Bill Lavery

When his debut album was released a couple of years ago we heralded Koger as another in a great line of Texas singer songwriters. As usual we were right. This new recording drives that point home and then some. In an age where it’s easy to come up with bloated cliché ridden albums Koger opts for the old fashioned way. He actually has something to say and can say it without beating you over the head with it. This new one serves as a the perfect companion to his debut without copying it.

Na het uitstekende debuut Blackland is de Texaanse huisarts Matt Koger terug met zijn tweede cd. Op The Coyote’s Call (eigen beheer) levert Koger wederom sterk werk af. Hij rockt iets harder deze keer. Daarbij speelt zijn band met een lekkere vierkante beat. The Hangover Song, dat onbeschaamd begint met wat reclame voor het biermerk Shiner, eindigt met het mee laten zingen van een heel café, waardoor het qua sfeer het werk van Jerry Jeff Walker benadert. Op het zwalkende humoristische lied The Poultry Judgement Day neigt Koger naar de pesterige toon van Todd Snider. Maar Me&U, geschreven voor zijn vrouw, is dan weer stoer en sentimenteel tegelijk. Fraai slepend ook. Back To The Sea is een demo met een minimale begeleiding op een enkele gitaar. Opgenomen met een diepe echo, waarmee Koger zich ergens ophoudt tussen Rodney Crowell (op een van zijn laatste uitstekende platen) en Darden Smith. (John Gjaltema)
The Coyote’s Call is verkrijgbaar

PRAISE FOR BLACKLAND

Lucky Boyd: Co-founder of mytexasmusic.com:

Matt Koger
"BLACKLAND"
©2006 Independently Released
Review by Lucky Boyd

"This album is all about storytelling and Matt Koger is one of the best. Songwriters who can take an observation and turn it into song are a treasure. Koger has found song in observations inspired by life, betrayal, religion, family, unproved speculation and current events. A stranger neither to the poignant nor the comedic, Koger uses his great storytelling voice to deliver each track much like an actor approaches a well-written script. Much of what defines Matt Koger is present in the disc. The instrumentation is successful at inserting mood into each of the album's 14 cuts. (15 with the hidden track) John Kent does an excellent job of capturing Koger's intensity and Jerry Tubb's mastering helps deliver another fine product. Refreshing is the fact that Koger opted for quality rather than commercial viability, leaving the disc without Nashville polish. Instead, songs like "Betty's Last Stand" becomes an anthem for those in Betty's shoes, and songs like "James" make people say, "I know that guy!" "Fort Worth Moon" has a clever slant on an old topic, and Koger duets with his young daughter on a song he wrote for her titled "Ally's Song." The title cut is worth the price of the album and Koger's talents are sure to be noticed for their sincerity and insight. No need to call 9-1-1, get the disc and you'll know why."

Bill Lavery: Owner Village Records

"This is another one of those cases where we get a disc in the mail and then try and contact the artist because we are so impressed. Koger like any good songwriter is from Texas. This is his first disc and we hope not his last. This one sounds like it was made by a true veteran and not a new artist. The songs are first rate and have that “lived in” feeling that only comes from experience and talent. Like any good songwriter he’s very adept at weighing in on the world around him and what makes it spin. We’ll be spinning this disc for a long time"

EURO-Review

http://www.altcountry.nl/recensiesnov06.html

Blackland (eigen beheer) van Matt Koger is een opmerkelijk debuut. Matt Koger is een huisarts uit Greenville, Texas, die puur voor zijn plezier muziek maakt. In 2001 kocht hij zijn eerste gitaar. Twee jaar geleden begon hij nummers te schrijven. Ongelooflijk, want Blackland is een album vol originele songs. Vijftien nummers in zeventig minuten maar liefst. In de verhalen die zich afspelen in het noordoosten van Texas beschrijft Koger de lotgevallen van opmerkelijke karakters. Betty steekt haar sigaret aan via het gasfornuis van haar eenkamer-appartement. Billy The Old Man (he ain’t Billy the kid no more) maakt zich niet meer druk. Als hij droomt is het in zwart-wit, net zoals de cowboyfilms van vroeger. De vierhonderd pond zware James kan nauwelijks lopen en rijdt daarom rond in een gehandicaptenwagentje, terwijl hij een ijsje eet in de regen. Ally’s Song is een slaapliedje voor en met Koger’s vals zingende dochtertje. Matter Of Pride gaat over de vrijdagavonden in een klein stadje die worden gevuld met American football. Een enkele keer is Matt Koger ietwat aan de sentimentele kant, maar hij kan zijn band ook laten rocken en doet met die aanpak nog het meest denken aan Nathan Hamilton. (John Gjaltema)

English

Blackland (own production) from Matt Koger is an extraordinary debut. Matt Koger, a general practitioner from Greenville, Texas, makes music just for fun. In 2001 he bought his first guitar. Two years ago he started writing his own songs. Remarkably all of the songs on Blackland are original. Fifteen songs in seventy minutes no less. In the stories, which take place in the northeast of Texas, Koger narrates the adventures of extraordinary characters. Betty lights her cigarette on the stove of her one-bedroom apartment. Billy the Old Man (he ain't Billy the kid no more) isn't too worried anymore. If he dreams, it is in black and white, just like the cowboy movies from the early days. The four hundred pound James can barely walk and rides around in a motorized handicapped vehicle, while eating ice-cream in the rain. Ally's Song is a lullaby made for and sung with his off-note little girl. Matter of Pride details the Friday nights in a small town during football season. Once and a while Matt Koger goes sentimental, but he can let his band rock and reminds us the most of Nathan Hamilton.

Translated from Dutch by Rik Hovinga

Another EURO Review:

Own Production (www.kogersongs.com)

A greenhorn from Texas, singer-songwriter Matt Kroger. Kroger is an M.D. in Greenville, TX, a small town just east of Dallas. Koger is married with four kids, the youngest a daughter of 8, Allyson. When you are in your forties, you risk slipping into a mid-life crisis if you're not enriching your existence with extra activities. Matt likes to go fishing, but also likes to write and sing songs since about five years ago (his first guitar and his first learned chords were in 2001). The results are available at 'CD-Baby' and are a pleasant surprise. Matt gives us 70 minutes on 15 of his own written (or penned) songs and they are well above mediocre quality. What he does is not new: he sounds mostly like a young Steve Earle, but also a little bit like Terry Allen, especially on his song Solitaire where the piano of John Kent and the voice of Matt provide a strong resemblance of Terry. His songs, written in the years 2004-2006, are stories out of daily lives in Texas from now and from the past. With his son Travis, he found the old, desolate, and forgotten cemetery (last funeral (burial?) was in 1916), which produced the songs Broken Stone and Blackland. In Blackland, Matt asks himself what happened back then (before 1916) to a man that in one week lost his wife and his 7-year-old son. It seems to me that those kinds of life questions are to be expected from a general practitioner. Together with his daughter Allyson, he recorded Ally's Song, a real lullaby. The next song, also dedicated to his daughter with the striking title Anyway, I Love You, narrates about the fleeting of time (they are out of the door before you know it). There are three songs that have their origins in the Bible and Billy The Old Man details the last years of the life of Billy the Kid. Matt Koger's Blackland is a great CD from a fine Texan greenhorn. I wouldn't mind him to be my doctor: one song with each consult and I'm sure to be healed for good. (FS)

Genuine Texas Songwriter