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To put it lightly, Forth Worth’s Matthew McNeal found success at a pivotal time in his life…
A month prior to the release of 2018’s Good Luck, the Studio 1A veteran made the heartbreaking decision to pull his father off life support, and although he soon met success on the road and in the media, McNeal would come to face more anguish in the months that followed. McNeal returned from tour with a set of new singles endowed with mourning and appreciation, but just as soon as he’d come back, he lost his house and most of his possessions to an electric fire. The subsequent near-fatal car accident and identity theft episode finally led McNeal to fill his glass again, this time with Good Grief.
Once again recorded and produced with the help of drummer Andre Black and Grammy-recipient Ted Young (whose credits can be found among The Rolling Stones and Kurt Vile), Matthew McNeal’s third album reflects the singer’s painful journey over the past two years across soul, alternative, and indie, disavowing genre constraints in favor of raw emotion. The thirty-five minutes on Good Grief is powerful to say the least, and although McNeal was slated to play at the Cactus Cafe later this month, in these gloomy days, we could all use a healthy serving of “Levity” right about now.
–Photo: Emily McNeal
