Matthew Patrick EP "Red River" Review.

Artist: Matthew Patrick 

Album: Red River 

Released: 2026

Artist Website: https://matthewpatrickfeuer.com/

Matthew Patrick is an artist that straddles the Americana and Blues genres like a cat on a fence. He has shared the stage with Derek Trucks, Matt "Guitar" Murphy and James Cotton to name a few. His music is reminiscent of Joe Walsh in the sense that it feels no more than a generation removed from the Chicago blues source. That space where there's a little more rock and roll in it, but it has not strayed too far from the music's original intent, which at its core is to emote, within the context of a simple framework. 

The six song EP clocks in at about 22 minutes and is a perfect sampler of Matt's take on roots rock. It has enough grit to satisfy the people who prefer the music in that light, but also has commercial accessibility with memorable hooks. Perhaps a solid comparison would be early ZZ Top. The music is clearly rooted in the blues, but went quite naturally somewhere else that is an easy listen for sure. 

The opening track and title cut Red River sinks the hook with conviction. Taking the classic blues groove and putting his own stamp on it Matthew makes a nasty stand with convincing vocals and a dirty slide guitar. So many modern slide guitarists take all the spit and dirt out of the slide, opting for something polished and pristine. Matthew Patrick takes the other path, which thankfully left all the rust right where it needs to be.

Track two, I Got Mine is another standout cut. His songwriting seems to be rooted in the late 70's, when so many styles were converging. The Laurel Canyon sound that The Eagles took into the stratosphere was colliding with Southern Rock and classic Rock and Roll. All simmering into what this writer would consider to be the pinnacle of the Rock music renaissance. It was a time where the balance between hooks and grit was as perfect as it has ever been. A time before digital recording, and too much of pretty much everything. This fine release would have been right at home on any rock radio station's playlist in that time period. 

After multiple listens to the release the sixth and last track Falling is the hidden gem. It serves as a perfect closer to this set. An acoustic masterpiece that has Allman Brothers leanings, but still quite unique. The band is deeply pocketed and sets the table for the vocal that is as smoky as slow cooked BBQ. There is a patience in this cut that becomes hypnotic after a few listens. I imagine this one is a great live cut for the band that I can envision them opening up on and dragging it into a 12 min musical journey! 

This is a record that is a throwback in time. It feels like something that was recorded a handful of years before MTV changed the landscape of how music sounds, directly related to how it looked. As a person who grew up in the MTV era I am not opposed to where that force of nature took the music business. However, the unfortunate side effect of its success is "Video Killed The Radio Star" as they say. There was no artists unaffected by the tide. But the ones who chose to stay the path and create something real paid the price in commercial sales, but created some of the greatest music of the last 100 years. That space is where this record would be at home. I hope it finds the listeners it deserves.