Krissy Matthews - Pizza Man Blues (2021) [CD Rip]

Pizza Man Blues is a snapshot of the moment those certainties were snatched away. The Blues Boy of Matthews’ 2006 debut album has been around the block, and the genre-crossing songs he now recounts on Pizza Man Blues are written from a place of hard-won maturity. “This last year, we’ve all had to adapt to circumstances,” reflects Matthews. “I’ve been forced off the road, but I’ve tried to keep the engine alive, keep earning, not lose my passion. I’ve done so many jobs, like pizza and flower delivery driver, tree surgeon assistant, volunteering for the NHS. These songs are all about the experiences I’ve had.”

The opening charge of Mayday would make Motörhead’s Lemmy nod approval, serving a feral fuzz lick and a speaker-ratting chorus that asks the big questions. From the bruised organ lines of Can’t Keep Us Apart to the thrilling torn-up guitar tone and Stax-worthy brass on Anti-Social Media, these are songs that defy genre at every turn. “I just wanted a ‘Krissy Matthews’ vibe,” he shrugs. “This album was the result.”

But as the indelible chorus of Grateful fades – ‘You’ve got to be grateful for what you’ve got/even if it ain’t a whole lot’ – it’s that sentiment that resonates. “Being a professional world touring musician, in a pandemic, with a girlfriend in another country, during Brexit, is not ideal,” Matthews considers. “But I’ve still found lots of things to be grateful for and I’m a very lucky man. The only way to get through hard times is to focus on the good times…”