Matt Costa

All I really have to say is: "Sunshine"

It just makes you happy...

now in the tradition of Island Kool . Not bad for a 4 weeler with talent and a nack for pop ... Songs we Sang ...

This cd is perfect for driving down the highway (preferably in a convertible) or for lounging in the backyard, having a barbeque. The sweet strumming of the guitar just makes me happy. It also makes me want to dance around and run through meadows. Some of my favorites: "Cold December" and "Yellow Taxi."

I saw Matt Costa opening for Jack Johnson a few years ago and was impressed. My friend bought his independent release of this album (with Whiskey and Wine on it!) and I heard him playing it in his car a few times. I liked his music but wasn't totally enthralled until I bought the CD myself (mostly just because my friends all had it) and as I listened multiple times to it, I fell in LOVE. Every song is so interesting and different. Astair is my favorite song, then Sweet Rose, then Sunshine. At first I didn't like Ballad of Miss Kate but now I do. I can sing along with "I Tried" and so that is why I enjoy that one. I have a terrible singing voice but for reason beyond me I can sing this song! "Behind the Moon" is also quite addictive. This is a wonderful cd, better than Unfamiliar Faces, in my opinion. The first is usually the best for many artists. But I hope Matt continues sending us happy music to brighten our days!

I bought this album based solely on the fact that I have yet to hear an artist signed by Brushfire that I don't like. I listened to it once in passing and thought it mediocre at best. I popped it in my CD player in my car on a roadtrip open to giving it another try and now I am ABSOLUTELY HOOKED! The songs are catchy and beautiful. Everytime I take it out and/or play the radio I end up popping it back in. I've got over 200 CDs in my car and I've been playing this and only this for over a week now....

I got into Matt Costa after hearing his track on Sing-A-Longs & Lullabies for the Film Curious George (Jack Johnson). Then after seeing him live shortly afterward I came to really appreciate him as an artist. So once this album came out it was a definite day one purchase.

The album as a whole musically and lyrically surpasses his previous Songs We Sing album with stand outs like Lilacs, Unfamiliar Faces, Cigarette Eyes and Miss Magnolia. The sound of the album has a great blend of acoustic rock and some songs mixed with elements of southern blue grass sound like in Miss Magnolia.

As a whole, the album is a great listen, with barely a bad track in site. But the weaker (but not bad) songs like Bound and Heart of Stone keep it from getting 5 stars. Any fan of the Brushfire record line should pick up this album and his previous Songs We Sing. Anyone else should give a few songs a listen first since it's not for all in the mainstream music scene. Great Album buy a great artist, and make sure you see him live if you are lucky enough to get a chance.

Five in the morning, I turn on MTV, hoping for some background noise while I munch on my Cheerios. Still groggy, I watch, dumbfounded by an odd guy running around the streets of some city - possibly San Francisco - playing some strange contraption that consisted of three or four different musical instruments. He was playing an infectious melody about a certain "Mr. Pitiful." Needless to say, I purchased this cd that very day.
Matt Costa is an amazing song writer and a big breath of fresh air in a world of rap and My Chemical Romance. This cd is amazing, from the bouncy "Mr. Pitiful" to the beautifully simple "Vienna"; from the bluesy "Bound" to the catchy folk "Miss Magnolia."
If you appreciate song writing, and you don't mind some originality, this cd is one to check out.

Matt Costa's Unfamiliar Faces is a fun CD. He has a wide variety of music styles, from blues to pop. His style is similar to that of The Beatles, mixing serious with fun, and melodic with syncopation!

I drove 6 hours this past weekend and kept going back to play this album.

Order shipped the next day and arrived in perfect condition. Great price and great product.

This EP is definately worth buying just for the fact that songs like "These arms","I tried", and sweet electric guitar song "Sweet Thursday", and "Lullaby" is beautiful. But "Suicide is Painless" is just kind of dull and really just sidetracks the good energy of the EP. Definately worth buying whether youve been a fan or just started getting into him.

Like many others, I discovered Matt Costa through my liking for Jack Johnson's music. This CD is brilliant. I love every song. Matt Costa sounds on this album like a slightly upbeat JJ, but with the emphasis on folk-folk/rock. I think he'll turn out to be even bigger if this is typical of the stuff he turns out. One query - I don't understand why the album claims that he wrote all the music and words - he certainly didn't write "suicide".

These songs were taken from the "Songs We Sing" recording sessions. If you liked the songs from "Songs We Sing" then you should also love the songs on this EP. This CD is suppose to be a limited printing, so pick it up when you can. These songs seem more personal then the songs off of "Songs We Sing". Just because this CD is an EP, don't think that these songs are weak. Some of the songs are quite powerful, such a "Suicide Is Painless" and "I Tried".

If you liked "Songs We Sing" then your sure to love this CD! If you are a serious fan of Matt Costa this one is a must for your collection.

Info: 6 Songs, about 20 minute.

I got into Matt Costa after hearing his track on Sing-A-Longs & Lullabies for the Film Curious George (Jack Johnson). Then after seeing him live shortly afterward I came to really appreciate him as an artist. So once this album came out it was a definite day one purchase.

The album as a whole musically and lyrically surpasses his previous Songs We Sing album with stand outs like Lilacs, Unfamiliar Faces, Cigarette Eyes and Miss Magnolia. The sound of the album has a great blend of acoustic rock and some songs mixed with elements of southern blue grass sound like in Miss Magnolia.

As a whole, the album is a great listen, with barely a bad track in site. But the weaker (but not bad) songs like Bound and Heart of Stone keep it from getting 5 stars. Any fan of the Brushfire record line should pick up this album and his previous Songs We Sing. Anyone else should give a few songs a listen first since it's not for all in the mainstream music scene. Great Album buy a great artist, and make sure you see him live if you are lucky enough to get a chance.

Five in the morning, I turn on MTV, hoping for some background noise while I munch on my Cheerios. Still groggy, I watch, dumbfounded by an odd guy running around the streets of some city - possibly San Francisco - playing some strange contraption that consisted of three or four different musical instruments. He was playing an infectious melody about a certain "Mr. Pitiful." Needless to say, I purchased this cd that very day.
Matt Costa is an amazing song writer and a big breath of fresh air in a world of rap and My Chemical Romance. This cd is amazing, from the bouncy "Mr. Pitiful" to the beautifully simple "Vienna"; from the bluesy "Bound" to the catchy folk "Miss Magnolia."
If you appreciate song writing, and you don't mind some originality, this cd is one to check out.

Matt Costa's Unfamiliar Faces is a fun CD. He has a wide variety of music styles, from blues to pop. His style is similar to that of The Beatles, mixing serious with fun, and melodic with syncopation!

I drove 6 hours this past weekend and kept going back to play this album.

Order shipped the next day and arrived in perfect condition. Great price and great product.

Scooter McGavin's review of Costa's style is sad and underappreciative. To state that Cosat's "Lullaby" from the Curios George sound track is "less than impressive" compared to contributions from Jack Johnson and Ben Harper is absurd. "Lullaby" is an wonderful track with beautiful lyrics. Costa's work might be too simple for McGavin, but that is to be expected from a simpleton.

I don't understand how people are comparing Matt Costa's music to Jacks. Both are great in there own right, but I don't see much of a similarity. I think Jack is more bluesy and has his whole on the beach watching the sunset vibe. Whereas Matt comes off as more of a singer/songwriter with more diverse influences. That's just my take on it...

Neway, Songs We Sing combines an array of different sounds such as country, folk and rock. Each song seems to be influenced from a certain band or type of music, which is great to hear. For example, "Oh Dear" could pass for a modern Beatles song. I find Matt to be very likable and his excellent song writing skills and smooth vocals back it up. His lyrics are great too; they explain the obvious hardships of relationships without saying it outright. Instead he uses metaphores and clever stories to relay the message. My favorites include Cold December, Yellow Taxi and Sunshine. Great CD all the way through. Highly reccomended for anyone who enjoys mellow acoustic sounds.

This cd is AMAZING! I love the simple guitar, the voice and everything about Costa. As we know Matt is part of the "Jack Johnson Crew" where Jack is the star and the others get some recognition but less. For me Costa is better. His songs are diverse and really seem to flow. Not many people know him but he is worth to buy. Jack or Matt That is the question. I choose Matt hands down. His cd's are great and can be listened to over and over.

I, like so many who have reviewed this cd here, bought Matt Costa's "Songs We Song" because of his contribution to Jack Johnson's cd. His simple, unaffected style of singing was the appeal for me. However, after listening through half of songs Matt sings, I had to turn it off, for two reasons. His songs are derivative, musically speaking, and his singing style bothered me. I guess what I want to say here is that his beautiful vocal delivery on "Lullaby" on the Curious George soundtrack is not representative of anything (at least on the first half) of "Songs We Sing". I was really disappointed.

Many were first introduced to Matt Costa when he popped up on Jack Johnson led Curious George Soundtrack. His inclusion, Lullaby was less than impressive and definitely couldn't hold up against the likes of Jack Johnson and Ben Harper. Now Costa is trying to strike out on his own with his first full length album, the appropriately titled Songs We Sing.

Cost does have a good pedigree being a skateboarder turned singer-songwriter discovered by the surfer turned Johnson. Costa's sound doesn't deviate too much from his mentor, but Costa does seem to have a wider variety of influences that includes some bluegrass (Ballad of Miss Kate), country (Sweet Rose), and even some songs with a distinct sixties British Invasion vibe (Songs We Sing) to go along with the traditional folk that Johnson usually utilizes. There's even a spacey song that reminds me of Nick Drake (Yellow Taxi).

But even with the eclectic musical genres represented on the album, Costa still lacks something. Whereas Johnson's silky voice sooths the listener taking them to a mellow place, Costa's voice hasn't found that ability in him yet. Even though the album grew on me each listening, it's not something that could replace any of Johnson's disks out of heavy rotation in my CD player.

Very soulful, groovy, pleasant CD. If you like Jack Johnson and happy, but mellow music you won't be disappointed. I would probably recommend buying his new album first: "Songs We Sing." It has a lot of his best songs on it from this album, plus more.

I met Matt at a No Doubt concert in 2004, when he was one of the sidestage acts. He was a great performer and a nice guy, really easy to talk to and chill. I had heard him perform a few songs, but when I listened to his EP I was blown away. I highly recommend this CD for several reasons- first of all, it's great music. All the songs have a different style and vibe to them, "Astair" being my personal favorite. However, they all flow togther very nicely, and the music is beauitful and simple- untampered and at its best and purest form. Another reason I would recommend this EP is because this is only the beginning. Matt's music has been featured on MTV's Road Rules X-TREME, and he's going on tour wirh Jack Johnson. His full length-CD, Songs We Sing, is due out very shortly. Matt is going to be around for a lot longer, and it's a good thing.

Matt Costa is a good artist even though this is his EL-P album. His music is like those old folk musicians. Bob Dylan, Donovan, and James Taylor. His sound is a little different though. His voice works really well with the instrumentals he has written. Personally "Astair" is a great song. You'll be seeing more of this young man as the years go by, so go out and buy this album.

The is Matt Costa's first release, recorded in a home studio I am told. The songs are nothing short of bad ass, and the production is spartan yet inviting. This guy is an artist that moves me and will be writing songs and killing it for a long time...