Jonah Matranga has been around the block, honing his craft for years under the name Onelinedrawing. His latest (2007) release, "And", is a testament to the rich rewards that come with patience and persistence. Jonah is at the top of his game vocally, musically, and lyrically.
Jonah Matranga is one of those rare singer/songwriters that I imagine has the ability to bring a noisy coffeehouse to a -ahem- grinding halt. You could probably hear a pin drop when this guy takes the stage...his intimate and heartfelt songs are delivered with unbelievable sincerity. This type of "bring the coffeehouse down" feel permeates "And".
Fans of Matt Nathanson, Shawn Mullins, and Rhett Miller take note: Jonah Matranga will be a new favorite of yours. "And" is comprised of 10 very catchy, acoustic-driven folk rock songs. His smooth voice easily escalates into an angelic falsetto and back again. It works best on his sparse ballads, where the tenderness reaches out to knock on your heart, but it is strong enough to rock out on tracks like "So Long" and "Not About A Girl or A Place".
While I love the rockers, the standout track for me is "Every Mistake". His gentle delivery exudes a sincerity rarely heard in music these days, and lines like, "I'm gonna love you while you make every mistake", would make anyone feeling blue feel better.
Another cool feature - Jonah wrote out the chords above the lyrics, making it easy for you to learn these songs for open mic night at the local coffeehouse.
"The best things in life are lost, then found," Jonah softly sings on the closing track. Indeed...go find Jonah Matranga.
iPOD-worthy: 1, 3, 4, 5, 8
Jonah Matranga on MySpace. Official site.
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