Saturday, May 03, 2025

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Matt Hires


Artist:Matt Hires

Song:Restless Heart

Album:The World Won't Last Forever, But Tonight We Can Pretend


Matt Hires is a singer songwriter who had a record deal with Atlantic Records fifteen years ago. It looks like they were trying to sell him to Adult Oriented Radio (AOR). But after two albums, it wasn't working out and they released him. I think it was a case where they liked him but they didn't know what to do with him. He was born Aug. 5, 1985 in Tampa, FL. His father was a musician and gave him a guitar. At first, Hires liked punk and emo. But then he started listening to Tom Petty and Bob Dylan and that's the basis of his style. He started out leading the band Brer and they released an album independently. Atlantic Records A&R exec Gregg Nadel loved Hires' sound and signed him to Atlantic's new label F-Stop. He brought in producer Eric Rosse. He is best known for producing Tori Amos. He produced the 2008 EP Live from the Hotel Cafe. It got positive critical response comparing Hires to Jack Johnson and John Mayer. He opened for Dave Matthews and Marc Broussard and got a good response. Then they released the 2009 album Take Us To the Start. These days record companies sell artists by placing songs on popular TV shows like Grey's Anatomy. That's what they did with Hires. The problem with this strategy is it's hit and miss and probably more miss than hit. So the album didn't sell. I don't think Atlantic had a marketing plan for Hires. And if you don't have a plan, why did you sign him? Restless Heart is from the 2013 album This Won't Last Forever, But Tonight We Can Pretend. Again Rosse produced with help from Alex Dezen. But again the album didn't sell. And that was it for Hires. He released the 2016 album American Wilderness on the much smaller label Rock Ridge Music. He released a Christmas single in 2024. He's not on tour right now but he streams on his Facebook page. I don't think Atlantic knew what to do with him. Here's the video for Restless Heart by Matt Hires. 


 

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