Matt Hillyer – ‘Glorieta’ album review

I have to hold my hands up here and admit that I only truly got to know of the Texas Honky Tonk band, Eleven Hundred Springs, just as they were winding their career down. Twenty three years they had and I was far too late to the party. Their final studio album, ‘Here ‘Tis’ was released in 2020 and they announced they were finishing a year later. 

So frontman Matt Hillyer thankfully has decided to go solo and carry the torch onwards and upwards, with ‘Glorieta’ being let loose recently. Featuring eleven – not eleven hundred – tunes, all written by Matt himself, with two being co-writes, this was always going to be a real personal insight of where he intends to go with his music. He has kept the core band as tight as he can, with James Driscoll on bass and then drums courtesy of Arjuna Contreras. Then bringing in a handful of guest musicians where needed, for a bit of pedal steel, fiddle, accordion and keys. Everything seems to fit just right. 

“To stop writing, recording and performing songs has never been the plan. I’m a songwriter, so that’s what I’m going to keep doing,” Hillyer says. And he has put together a collection of songs that carry some Honky Tonk heart but also adds extra sounds that keep the whole album feeling fresh and a bit different to a ‘regular’ Country record. 

The first single and album title track came out a while back, to tease and tempt us into wanting more! And it grabbed me right away, with a nice steady toe tapping rhythm and a chorus you know will be sung loud at his gigs. ‘Glorieta’ isn’t a person but instead, a small New Mexico location where his family had a holiday home, where he had always loved visiting. The second song I heard from the album was ‘Stolen Kisses’ and this is a personal highlight. It races along beautifully, bringing obvious comparisons to the likes of Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly, vocally and musically. The guitar parts add some full on TWANG as well. A killer tune. 

Then we are treated to a good old fashioned slow and sad Country song with ‘Just Passing Through’, full of pedal steel in all the right places. The first place where I noticed things were opening up musically, was the outstanding ‘Ordinary Man’, which is written about his father and his ‘ordinary’ blue collar life. This has more of a Beatles flavour to it than a Honky Tonk sound and it draws you right in to the story as a result. Absolutely another high, highlight. 

Matt himself adds some moody Hammond sounds to ‘What Kind Of Fool’, a laid back, almost Bluesy track, with another Big O style vocal performance. Very nice indeed, one to sit back, maybe with eyes closed and let it wash over you. ‘Diablo Motel’ sounds like you think it might, with a foreboding, spooky feel to the sound and the story itself, using keys and chord changes not always seen on a ‘Country’ album. This one is far away from your regular Honky Tonk music but that just gives the playlist a fresh and interesting feel to it. On first listen, you just won’t know quite what to expect next. 

Matt does keep close to his roots with other tracks though, with the likes of ‘That’s How You Know’ and ‘It’s All About The Ride’ bringing the Honky and the Tonk to the party in fine style. The latter especially being my kind of Country. As is the storming, acoustic and fiddle driven ‘Holding Fast’, which you can check out in the video below.

I really hope this album doesn’t slip under the radar as it is something that truly deserves to be heard. The fact that Matt has been brave enough to think outside the box on a handful of songs is a bonus, as it does showcase what goes on in his head when he gets to work. 

“To me they’re all just songs I had a hand in creating, whether it’s an Eleven Hundred Springs song or one of my solo songs,” he says. “I’m really proud of them. Those songs have gone places and have taken me places. I’m also excited to see where the new music will take me, because I have no plans to stop doing this anytime soon.” This is obviously very good news for all of us and I do politely encourage you to take a listen to this record as soon as you can. I am confident you will find plenty to enjoy and love. 

Track list: 1. Glorieta 2. Stolen Kisses 3. Just Passing Through 4. You Gotta Keep Moving 5. Ordinary Man 6. Dirty Little Secrets 7. What Kind Of Fool 8. It’s All About The Ride 9. Holding Fast 10. Diablo Motel 11. That’s How You Know Record Label: State Fair Records Release Date: 24th February Buy ‘Glorieta’ now