Wheatie Mattiasich 2006 Full-Length CD "Slothful Croonings."
In an old bluesy style akin to Americana, Wheatie references dirty water, old clothes, worn-out threads, hunger, begging, and poverty. The underbelly of the seventeen low-fi tracks portrays the disparity between the rich and poor.
Wheatie writes and sings insightful folk fables. Her verse is reminiscent of Mother Goose because the sad and tortured content of the stories is revealed within the rhymes. Phrasing like in the song "Kuna Kuna" Look sad in upper town / you know all the good spots darling / you know who’s got the heavy pockets / the only place in town you know where guilt is felt real hard. Or when she writes about simple things like..... shall we go to lunch? / Shall we eat our beans...... or Shall we climb up the trees / even if we skin our knees… Poverty limits choices but not imagination and the simplicity of play.
She sings softly, slowly. The sound of her voice is rich and full. Wheatie sings out her lines and lures the listener with her alluring voice and simple guitar picking. She adds welcoming da,da,da and backup vocals to many tracks.
Her fables provoke thoughtful social commentary and present moral dilemmas because she chooses words carefully. The ones with the pale threads will tell tell tell you where they've been / and / don't step foot in the dirty water, don't fall in the dirty water who knows what they all have seen /.... What should I do if the roof cave through / swim like a trout and take off your shoes /........ We often don't see poverty, we turn away, change the channel, ignore and walk by.
I love the song "Down In My Shoes," in which she describes all aspects of dirt and mud / That old dirt is good for washing fears /. "Break the Window" is a haunting five-minute track with provocative repetitive words that is very engaging.
Watching her live she is quiet, slow, and captivating. Her persona is in sharp contrast to our collective hyper-attention span. Quiet and thoughtful, and it is refreshingly different!
“Slothful Croonings” 2006 Full Length:
Included: Beautiful cover art by Artist Molly O’connell and a full sheet of liner notes
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