Matthew E. White

Drawing from a deep well of regional influences like Randy Newman, Allen Toussaint, and Alan Lomax, Richmond, Virginia-based singer/songwriter/arranger Matthew E. White specializes in a meticulously crafted blend of reggae-infused folk-gospel, tropicalia, swirling indie pop, and Stax-era R&B. Raised in an evangelical household by missionary parents (he spent four years in the Philippines) and nourished on the sounds of Curtis Mayfield, Caetano Veloso, the Band, and Brian Wilson, White has collaborated with like-minded artists such as Megafaun, Sharon Van Etten, the Mountain Goats, Ken Vandermark, and Justin Vernon, as well as toured and recorded as the leader of avant-garde jazz band Fight the Big Bull. The soulful and colorful Big Inner, his debut album for Spacebomb, a branch of the Hometapes label, was released in 2012. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi