Ian Matthews left
Fairport Convention in 1969, and while the U.K.'s greatest
folk-rock band was beginning to reinvent itself in a more traditional and very British direction,
Matthews began digging deeper into the American influences that had marked his old band's first era.
Later That Same Year, the second album from
Ian's new group,
Matthews Southern Comfort (it was released in late 1970, a mere six months after their debut, hence the title), is a beautiful set of songs that splits the difference between West Coast
folk-rock and early
country-rock, with
Gordon Huntley's pedal steel and
Roger Coulam's piano lending an air of sunny sadness that dovetails beautifully with
Matthews' silky tenor.
Matthews wrote three of the songs on
Later That Same Year, and they rank with the album's finest moments, especially the ethereal harmonies of
"And Me" and the graceful simplicity of
"My Lady," but
Matthews also borrows some excellent material from American writers, including a cover of
Neil Young's
"Tell Me Why" that remains faithful while creating a languid mood of its own; a fine, poignant take on
Jesse Winchester's
"Brand New Tennessee Waltz"; and two by
Al Anderson that date from the latter days of
the Wildweeds before he joined up with
NRBQ (and
"Mare Take Me Home" and
"And When She Smiles" show
Big Al was already a songwriter of no small talent and
Matthews handles both tunes beautifully). While
country influences run all through the album,
Matthews had the smarts not to try to emulate a Nashville production or arrangement style, and instead the album suggests the shadows of
Tim Buckley or early
Crosby, Stills & Nash while adding an English pastoral subtext all its own. After
Later That Same Year,
Matthews parted ways with
Southern Comfort to record solo and later form
Plainsong, but you'd never guess that this album was recorded by a band on its last legs -- this is subtle but confident music that comes from a handful of artists working at the height of their skills. [Before the release of
Later That Same Year,
Matthews Southern Comfort released a cover of
Joni Mitchell's
"Woodstock" as a single, and it became a sizable hit in both America and Europe; it was added to the American release of the album, and is one of four bonus tracks added to the 2008 remastered reissue of the album from
Beat Goes On Records.
"The Struggle," "Parting" and
"Scion" aren't quite as strong as the songs on the original edition of the album, but they're certainly worth a listen for fans and find
Matthews and the band in solid form, while the digital remastering sounds excellent and well-detailed.] ~ Mark Deming
![Last Train to Memphis [Bogalusa]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0827420035029_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Last Train to Memphis [Bogalusa]")
