MATT SCHUSTER - Left Me In The Dusk - Warner Music Nashville

With over 140 million global career streams, it was just a matter of time before Matt Schuster found the right label home and made his way to the top of several artist to watch lists as the next big thing in country music.

Signed to Warner Music Nashville in September, the hot prospect immediately hit the ground running with “Tell Me Tennessee” and “Last Fall,” instantly offering a full spectrum view of what he brings to the fold by first delivering an ultra-modern mid-tempo and then softening into an acoustic pace that allowed his crisp voice to sit within the simplicity of the instrumentation.

He now returns with his third release in as many months, “Left Me In The Dusk.”

The song, written by Lori McKenna and Jordan Reynolds, continues to elevate his blending of signature styles as he walks the line between heartland rock and modern country with accents of poetic storytelling that perfectly wraps around his engaging voice.

Showcasing pieces of what we’ve heard from both previous releases, Schuster fits an ultra-modern style that’s laced with prominent banjo snuggly against his dynamic vocal which rides the melody into his gamut of registers, emphasizing the hurt and pain through the twisting of complicated emotions that arrive every night as sundown creeps in and he faces the memory of her leaving him at that exact time.

Lamenting that he used to look forward to this time of night when it was just him, her, the dogs, and glasses of wine, while also admitting that a stiff drink doesn’t do him any good now as her memory doesn’t leave until he turns off the light on the porch, he masterfully utilizes the dynamics in his voice to strike all the proper emotions as what used to be continues to haunt him, reaching a naturally confused frustration as the chorus kicks up the memory of the specific moment that she left:

“When you left me standing like a fool

Sundown in the driveway

I asked you where you’re heading

You said “one way on a highway”

You left me for that western sky sunrise

Yeah, the taillights on your truck

That old sun ain’t showing back up

Since you left me in the dusk”

By never listing a specific reason for their split, “Left Me In The Dusk” not only highlights just how caught off guard he was by her leaving, but it allows the listener to track their own aching memories of a tough breakup as they listen, giving this an instant connection factor that will raise him another rung toward the top of the proverbial ladder as he sets in motion exciting things still to come in the new year.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

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