(February 6, 2020) I grew up listening to AM radio riding in the back seat of the car with my mother. Most of the times, we’d listen to the R&B station with those great DJs. At nighttime, when those stations went off the air, I’d flip over to the pop stations where I’d hear songs by The Beatles, the Beach Boys and singer/songwriters like Jim Croce. That’s why I developed an affinity to the lyricism of folks like Lennon and McCartney, the creative arrangements of the Brian Wilson and storytelling of Jim Croce.
Matthew Grant is a lot younger than I am, but those songs had the same impact on him. The Kansas City native found solace in music, and when he left home at 18 and the journey to personal and artistic discovery took him from Kansas City to New York and eventually California where he got immersed in the music scene.
(February 6, 2020) I grew up listening to AM radio riding in the back seat of the car with my mother. Most of the times, we’d listen to the R&B station with those great DJs. At nighttime, when those stations went off the air, I’d flip over to the pop stations where I’d hear songs by The Beatles, the Beach Boys and singer/songwriters like Jim Croce. That’s why I developed an affinity to the lyricism of folks like Lennon and McCartney, the creative arrangements of the Brian Wilson and storytelling of Jim Croce.
Matthew Grant is a lot younger than I am, but those songs had the same impact on him. The Kansas City native found solace in music, and when he left home at 18 and the journey to personal and artistic discovery took him from Kansas City to New York and eventually California where he got immersed in the music scene.
A songwriter, Grant found himself drawn to the pop music of the 1960s and early 1970s, and his latest project, Love Under Covers, pays tribute to that era. That project features covers of pop songs by The Beach Boys (“God Only Knows”), The Beatles (“And I Love Her”), Jim Croce (“Time in a Bottle”), Elvis Presley (“Now or Never) and The Turtles (“Happy Together”). However, these are not your saccharine, paint-by-number remakes. Grant put some thought into this effort and gives each of these tunes a soul arrangement that features his lovely voice. Check out “God Only Knows” here.
By Howard Dukes
Matthew Grant
“God Only Knows”
Follow Matthew on Social Media
@IamMatthewGrant