Matthew Houck may operate out of the too-cool-for-school, New York City indie rock community, but the Alabama-born mastermind behind
Phosphorescent has a muse that clearly resides in warmer climates. A breezy, classic rock-tinged collection of heartbreak road ballads nursed into existence on a steady diet of
the Eagles and
the Band,
Here's to Taking It Easy, the first
Phosphorescent release to rely on musicians other than
Houck, plays like a lost piece of vinyl from the early '70s.
Houck is a generous, earnest songsmith, and his tales of love on the rocks (
"Tell Me Baby [Have You Had Enough]"), love lost (
"Heaven, Sittin' Down"), and love of the South (
"It's Hard to Be Humble [When You're From Alabama]") feel lived in and cared for. Even on autopilot (the slight
"I Don't Care If There's Cursing" and the hippy-drippy
"Hej, Me I'm Light"), his effortless, laid-back version of modern alt-country feels like an old friend, and the weepy, sun-drenched reverb that permeates the whole affair feels authentic rather than coerced out of a Pro Tools plug-in. The only downfall is that
Here's to Taking It Easy is so easy to take that at only nine songs, it flies by in no time at all. ~ James Christopher Monger
![Action Painting [With Book]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0825764106429_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Action Painting [With Book]")
