Jonah Matranga

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Some have mined the sumptuous ’70s singer/songwriter vibe effectively, but it’s a lot harder to pull off than the rustic cowboy act. While Jonah Matranga has shown a flair for translating a sweet, achy strum into tender confessionals, he’s demonstrated an equal penchant for pop grandiosity, which can quickly curdle to cheese. On Matranga’s first full-length since retiring his onelinedrawing moniker, the production is fuller, but at times he veers perilously close to adult contemporary. The chorus in “I Want You To Be My Witness” features a vocal melody that would make Michael McDonald cringe, while the simpering soft rock arrangement and saccharine sentimentality of “Every Mistake” lands well on the wrong side of the Josh Kelly/Rouse divide. By the time Matranga gets to the sweet, folksy twang of “I Can’t Read Yr Mind” and the dulcet, equally understated “You Always Said You Hated San Francisco,” he’s already squandered any goodwill.

Limekiln