Matthew Herbert - 1500 Miles and Counting

I'll be honest. When I requested to review this CD, I somehow let myself get confused into thinking I was somehow getting the latest from the Matthew Herbert Big Band that had opened for Bjork on her last tour. Surprise, Surprise! This is not at all what I had expected. Matthew Herbert is quite possibly the next John Mayer, or Pete Yorn, or Jason Mraz but without a twist like being able to "wail" on guitar, imitate Springsteen, or make yourself into a hip-hop influenced jackass (respectively). 1500 Miles and Counting is quite possibly Matthew himself hanging out in his dorm room recording his acoustic musings and going back with vocal overdubs, sparse organ sounds, and the occasional guitar lead (but not too much). Maybe I'm judging it a bit too harshly given that I was expecting something completely different and feel a little irked at myself for being duped, but this disc strikes me as the perfect accompaniment for the 15th Annual Kappa Sigma Campout when the fire is dying down, the beers are warming up, and the Delta Sigma Theta girls need a little softening up before taking them back to the tent. [geocities.com]