Search - Jonah Sonz Matranga :: And

The Long Awaited Debut.... Kinda [4.5 Stars]

LeftManOut | TheCityThatNeverSleeps, FL | 01/26/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's been quite some time since heralded singer/songwriter Jonah Matranga, the mastermind behind such bands are Onelinedrawing, Gratitude and Far, has been in action. Since the breakup of Gratitude in 2005, and Jonah's statement that he would officially be abandoning the moniker of Onelinedrawing not long after that, fans have been salivating at the mouth for something new to pop up with Mr. Matranga's name stamped on it.



So was it worth the wait? Most definitely. Jonah's decision to abandon all his prior band identities and instead put music out under his own name has not affected his artistic ability in any way. In fact this is probably Jonah's most addicting and assuring work since Onelinedrawing's "Visitor" came in 2002. The pop-rock elements of his time spent in gratitude have been firmly welded into his indie-acoustic dabblings of Onelinedrawing, and the combination couldn't have worked better. The best way to think of this record is that it's like hearing a full band version of Onelinedrawing. Very similar to what he did with New End Original.



"And" kicks off with great acoustic-driven "So Long," which will likely give the audience an accurate depiction of what the record has to offer. Jonah's voice is top-notch, and with the backdrop of the instruments (the production is really a key element to the record) his own solo identity has never sounded so good. There's plenty of diversity too. To match more upbeat pieces like "So Long" and "I Want You To Be My Witness," there are more somber and introspective pieces like "Fathers and Daughters" and "You Always Said You Hated San Francisco." There's even a bit of folk sound to be found in pieces like "I Can't Read Yr Mind" with its country-sounding guitars and pianos. And to be true to his writing, the Acoustic-closer "Lost, Then Found" is vintage Jonah, and sounds like it would be found on one of his Onelinedrawing albums.



Jonah Matranga couldn't have done more to please his fans than he did with this album. The only thing that slightly cuts back the score is the discs brevity, which only clocks 30 minutes in its 10 songs. Like most good albums, "And" will keep the listener coming back for more every time. Hopefully this is only a hint of what Jonah hopes to do with his new persona (kinda new) and lets hope his future releases continue to be this good. Rack up another hit for one of indie music's most talented (and surprisingly under appreciated) songwriters."