Search - Ian Matthews :: Walking a Changing Line

Iain Sings The Songs Of Shear

PHILIP S WOLF | SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA. USA | 09/27/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is the 1988 Windham Hill and Iain's Comeback Record after a few years of being out of the Music Industry.



This is a concept piece of the songs of Jules Spear. After appearing with Fairport Convention at their 1986 Croperty Reunion Concert he invisioned a recording of songs by one of his favorite fellow artists, Jules Spear. After finding a Record Company who shared his vision he put together "Changing Line",



This begins with "Dream Sequence" a moody synthesizer piece that blends right into the acoustic guitars of the fine tune "Standing Still", "Except For A Tear", "Following Every Finger", "Alive Alone", are just as good.



"On Squirrel Hill" features just the voice of Mr. Matthews and it's next best thing to seeing Iain live where he always performes at least one accapella rendering. His voice is still in great shape after 40 years on stages around the planet.



"Shadow's Break" is another highlight here as well as "Only A Motion". There are no Dogs on this CD, it's finely crafted and just plain good Pop Music, Some times lively But balanced by some slow ballads and a wide rainbow of "Moods".



"Walking A Changing Line" should be in any Iain Matthews collection ( are they over 50 CD's in his career ??... whew ). If you are new to this Artist this is also a Very good place to start."

A marriage of singer and songwriter

Tim Brough | Springfield, PA United States | 10/28/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ian Matthews was a wonderful folk artist that had kind of given up on music when he came up with a concept; why not do a complete album of songs by a writer he'd come to deeply admire? He presented the idea to the Windham Hill label and they gave him the green light. The result was one of the finest match-ups of singer to song, a tribute the the talents of both men.



Shear is a songwriter of verbose beauty, but his thin voice often belies the strength of his language. In Matthew's voice, such terrific ballads like "Alive Alone" (featuring Eliza Gilkyson) become moving, emotional testaments. The songs are performed almost entirely on keyboards and synths, but is such a manner that you'd never guess. The folksy style Matthews is best known for permeates "Walking a Changing Line," giving the songs an almost new-age feel. This was Windham Hill, after all, so the mellow vibe was bound to get in there somewhere. But Matthews (who had been out of the studio for five years) is in fine voice here, as the a Capella "Squirrel Hill" shows. Now that these are down-loadable, there is little reason to not have this in your library. The follow-up, Pure and Crooked, was just as good, and includes a fine cover of Peter Gabriel's "Mercy Street.""