CORRECTION: Due to a reporting error, an earlier version of this story said Matthew E. White was born in the Philippines and raised in Richmond, Va. in the 1970s. White was not born in the Philippines and was raised in the Philippines and Virginia in the 1980s. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.
Compositional mastery and easy-going retro style complement each other in Matthew E. White’s Big Inner, a genre-bending album that struggles to reconcile spirituality and mortality.
White’s sources of inspiration are eclectic; he was raised in the Philippines and Richmond, Va. in the 1980s. While this cultural combo sounds like it could be either fatally bizarre or remarkably cool for someone venturing into music, White pulls off the latter with his debut release.
The miniature orchestra that White uses throughout the album’s seven tracks shares the spotlight with his voice. Contributing instrumentalists include Megafaun’s Phil Cook and Bon Iver’s Reggie Pace, and influence from both bands is tangible. Horns and strings are prevalent and bring romance to each hymn-like song.
Instrumentation, expert arrangements and lyrical content make White’s lackluster voice — his only potential weak spot — sound less so.
White humbly tiptoes through gigantic topics like death and God and love, fueled and lifted by a backdrop of jazz and gospel power filled with tinges of Southern rock. “Why are you living in heaven today?” he croons softy in “Gone Away.” But he sounds more like he’s more dejected about the inevitability of loss than mourning any specific tragedy. And many of his lyrics follow suit — repetitive contemplations of the human experience, rather than lofty poeticism.
Ultimately, Big Inner shines because of its graceful and dual acknowledgement of religion and humanity — as well as the power of organic musical composition — in one short album.
White reaches for universality to present through a surprisingly accessible and satisfying window of personal experience.
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