Live From the Hotel Café
Encyclopedia
Live From the Hotel Café is a 4-track EP
by American pop-rock singer-songwriter
Matt Hires
released on October 7, 2008 and reached the top 10 on iTunes' "Top Singer/Songwriters Albums" chart upon its release. The Ep contains 3 live performances and 1 demo track which selected performances at the Hotel Café in Los Angeles.
Andrew Leahey from Allmusic said: "Hires sings, sounding like a younger Dave Matthews
. His craft may not be up to par with that songwriting giant, but Live from the Hotel Cafe shows that Hires' influences are in the right place."
"His talent level is enough that even in four songs you know what a Matt Hires’ song sounds like. He’s etched his sonic mark in a very short time." -Awmusic
, Dave Matthews
, Mat Kearney
and Jack Johnson
.
"Looking at Hires you can’t help but think of Jack Johnson
, whose laidback eco-friendly personality figures heavily in both his appearance and his music. Johnson embodies the oceanside, surfing troubadour and Hires, with his trademark sandals and curly blonde locks, is aesthetically a Jack Johnson disciple." "There are times when you firmly believe you may have slid a Dave Matthews
CD in by mistake. His songs, his rhythm and even his voice are so Dave Matthews
you wonder openly wonder about the frailties of intellectual property." -Awmusic:
Andrew Leahey said: "Open your mind and let your beauty flow like wine" Hires sings, sounding like a younger Dave Matthews
. His craft may not be up to par with that songwriting giant, but Live from the Hotel Cafe shows that Hires' influences are in the right place."
Matt responded: "I like those artists. I don’t necessarily listen to a lot of their stuff so I don’t think my music sounds like them. I didn’t feel any pressure from that."
Technical Credits
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
by American pop-rock singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Matt Hires
Matt Hires
Matt Hires is an American singer-songwriter from Tampa, Florida. Drawing inspiration from influences as disparate as The Band, Sufjan Stevens, Wilco and Ryan Adams, Matt became the first artist to sign with F-Stop Music, an imprint of Atlantic Records.- Biography :As a cabinet store worker by day...
released on October 7, 2008 and reached the top 10 on iTunes' "Top Singer/Songwriters Albums" chart upon its release. The Ep contains 3 live performances and 1 demo track which selected performances at the Hotel Café in Los Angeles.
Critical response
Live From the Hotel Café has received positive reviews from music critics.Andrew Leahey from Allmusic said: "Hires sings, sounding like a younger Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews
David John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...
. His craft may not be up to par with that songwriting giant, but Live from the Hotel Cafe shows that Hires' influences are in the right place."
"His talent level is enough that even in four songs you know what a Matt Hires’ song sounds like. He’s etched his sonic mark in a very short time." -Awmusic
Comparison
Upon his first release, Matt is often compared to John MayerJohn Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
, Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews
David John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...
, Mat Kearney
Mat Kearney
Mathew William "Mat" Kearney is an American musician born in Eugene, Oregon, now based in Nashville, Tennessee. Kearney has received critical acclaim and widespread recognition for his Columbia Records debut, Nothing Left to Lose. So far, he has a total of four top 20 hits on the Adult Top 40...
and Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (musician)
Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a...
.
"Looking at Hires you can’t help but think of Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (musician)
Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a...
, whose laidback eco-friendly personality figures heavily in both his appearance and his music. Johnson embodies the oceanside, surfing troubadour and Hires, with his trademark sandals and curly blonde locks, is aesthetically a Jack Johnson disciple." "There are times when you firmly believe you may have slid a Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews
David John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...
CD in by mistake. His songs, his rhythm and even his voice are so Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews
David John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...
you wonder openly wonder about the frailties of intellectual property." -Awmusic:
Andrew Leahey said: "Open your mind and let your beauty flow like wine" Hires sings, sounding like a younger Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews
David John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...
. His craft may not be up to par with that songwriting giant, but Live from the Hotel Cafe shows that Hires' influences are in the right place."
Matt responded: "I like those artists. I don’t necessarily listen to a lot of their stuff so I don’t think my music sounds like them. I didn’t feel any pressure from that."
Track listing
Live From the Hotel Café| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1. | "You Are the One (Live from the Hotel Café)" - 3:26 |
| 2. | "Oh, Sunrise (Live from the Hotel Café)" - 4:00 |
| 3. | "Tangled Web (Live from the Hotel Café)" - 3:54 |
| 4. | "Honey, Let Me Sing You a Song (Demo) Honey, Let Me Sing You a Song (song) "Honey, Let Me Sing You a Song" is the lead single by American pop-rock singer-songwriter Matt Hires from his first full-length studio album Take Us to the Start, the song featured in many uses in media, including ABC's hitshow Cougar Town and Life Unexpected on The CW.The demo version featured in... " - 3:57 |
Album Credits
Performance Credits- Matt HiresMatt HiresMatt Hires is an American singer-songwriter from Tampa, Florida. Drawing inspiration from influences as disparate as The Band, Sufjan Stevens, Wilco and Ryan Adams, Matt became the first artist to sign with F-Stop Music, an imprint of Atlantic Records.- Biography :As a cabinet store worker by day...
– Primary Artist, Acoustic GuitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, Vocals
Technical Credits
- David Harrigan – Art Direction
- John Barnes Wellss – EngineerEngineerAn engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...