Ian Matthews' fifth solo effort since leaving
Matthews' Southern Comfort, Some Days You Eat the Bear and Some Days the Bear Eats You continues the country-rock of its predecessor, the
Michael Nesmith-produced
Valley Hi, but with more emphasis on the L.A. singer/songwriter sound and less on straightforward country. Though both records were recorded in Southern California, Nesmith brought a distinct Nashville flavor to
Valley Hi, utilizing such country greats as steel guitarist
Red Rhodes and fiddler
Byron Berline. Here,
Matthews (who handles the production duties) draws from the vast pool of L.A. session regulars, including
Jackson Browne sideman
David Lindley, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter from
Steely Dan, and America's rhythm section. This -- along with the occasional saxophone and double-tracked lead vocal -- accentuates the pop sense evident just below the surface in
Matthews' past work, giving Some Days You Eat the Bear a slightly more polished, commercial feel. For material, he once again borrows from the catalogs of favorites such as
Jesse Winchester and Gene Clark (whose "Tried So Hard seems to be a leftover from the
Valley Hi sessions), as well as covering now-classic tunes by the likes of
Steely Dan,
Danny Whitten, and
Tom Waits, all of which suit his warm, emotive tenor nicely. There's also the usual peppering of fine originals, which at their best hold their own next to his choice of covers.
Matthews' best song here is also one of his most enduring, the Hank Williams tribute "A Wailing Goodbye," in which he imagines himself attending the funeral of the country & western legend. A solid final album for Elektra, Some Days You Eat the Bear seems to serve as the bridge between his folk and country-rock days of the late '60s and early '70s and the more pop and rock direction that would dominate the next decade of his career. ~ Brett Hartenbach