Matthew Huff is fast becoming the newest country music sensation around. The 2011 Nashville's New Country Star Winner and 2011 George D. Hay Music Hall of Fame and Foundation Hoedown Recipient is steadily earning his place along the ranks of the top performing artists hailing from his home state such as Johnny Cash, Conway Twitty and Glen Campbell. His first Album Strong released in June of 2010 yielded Music Row Breakout Charting Singles Back Again which made it to #39 and As Time Goes By made #51 as well as Power Source Top 75 where Back Again hit #20 and As Time Goes By hit #9.
With the release of his sophomore album aptly titled Reflection, Matthew Huff has dug deep into his past and pulled out a piece of his soul. Each song relating to an experience that he has used as inspiration and demonstrating Matthew’s gift for putting words together with a melody that will take you back to your beginnings.
Matthew believes that being a writer of songs is the most distinguished art of being a musician. He explains that "A deep experienced based songwriter puts themselves all out on the table for the world to hear." Admittedly he pulls from the joyful as well as hurtful experiences of his life and takes pride in all that he writes. He wants his audience to relate to him and his experiences and won't ever write make believe dirt road anthems or beat driven ear candy just to get something out there. Matthew reflects that "As far as doubts or regrets I have none. I've lived my life, taken risks, been broken, broken others and have reflected on my past to make myself a better man." He says that realness is what people want to feel and making that connection is the ticket for a songwriter to their audience."
Reflection is an album that is sure to produce several singles that will top the charts. The first song Simple Things makes you think about how nice it is to just live and enjoy the small things in life like holding hands or laying in the arms of the one you love. Matthew’s cover of Justin Timberlake's What Goes Around is sure to get everyone on the dance floor forgetting the love that they have lost and sticking it to them at the same time. Nostalgic for driving the back roads of your hometown with your friends? Military Road will take you back there every time!
The song That’s America covets the small town upbringing that helped develop Matthew into the man his is today. "This song paints a story of my life, starting before I was even born. Grandpa working in the East Arkansas cotton fields, with my granny helping, raising 9 kids (my uncles and my mother). I painted a very descriptive piece of work in this song. It takes you from those old hot farming days to my days of Little League and times as a teenager in Mammoth Spring, AR. This song is, to me, what Arkansas life is about, as Arkansas is made up of hundreds of these little towns. Hot farm days, kids burning down old, dirt county roads on worn out bicycles, Saturday morning Little League and old Chevy trucks handed down from our parents....now that's real. This song is how I believe America should still be, just small-town America. Hard working people, making honest pay and appreciating the simple things about life. "
Reflection is full of heartfelt and sentimental songs that Matthew dedicates to his upbringing and honors both his parents each with a song of their own. My Dad is a song he wrote about how his dad raised his two son's with a hard but loving hand, always there to coach baseball and sit in a deer stand with them. Song for Mom is an emotionally driven song that will make any mother tear up. Matthew takes this opportunity to let his Mom know that his brother and he should call her more often, sings about how much he loves her and how he admires how strong she is.
The song on this album that means the most to Matthew is by far You Love Me Anyway. After the experience of being on the road with all the heartache and loneliness, Matthew puts it this way: "This song epitomizes desperation and the thought of love all mixed in to one. It flowed out of the hopes of one day meeting someone that could not only be content with only me, but without a doubt love me for me, overlooking everything in the past that happened well before them. You Love Me Anyway is so in tune with emotions that I know people from 18 to 88 can feel this song. It’s written more from a guy’s perspective, yet women can relate as they are not exempt from making these same mistakes, we all are guilty. The song is a cry of hope, appreciation, love, humbleness and satisfying grace all mixed in to 4 minutes. It's the ultimate 'giving in' song by saying 'I've screwed up my life until you, and I'm a better person for now having you in it.'"
Matthew feels as though this song says it all and that “Life is what it is and the best way to live it is to make each day better than the day before. I've learned to appreciate things more now than I ever have and it comes from two things; accepting my mistakes and being honest with myself about them. I've come to know who my real friends are for they are always the ones that see me at my lowest of lows and stand by me to pick up all the pieces. Life is about living it, not judging it nor faking it....if you wanna come to peace you must learn to accept it and be real with it. The Reflection album would not be complete without this song. "
You will never meet a more down to earth and genuine person than Matthew Huff. When asked if there was anything he wanted to tell his fans he said: "I am always astonished at the response I get on the road, with the music and with my fans. I look at where I started and where I am a short 3 years later and it's a great accomplishment. Three years ago, I barely had a following in my own hometown, now I have diehard fans from Africa, Germany, a huge following in the UK, and of course here in the US. I take pride in being real to my fans. I know not everyone will appreciate it, but the fact is, is that it tells the best story."
Matthew is currently on an acoustic Reflection tour in Florida and even had the opportunity to sing The National Anthem for the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Tampa Bay Rays Spring Training game at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, FL! You can catch Mr. Huff back in Arkansas on April 13th playing for a great cause for his High School Alma Mater Mammoth Spring High School and on June 15th at the 1st Annual Back Achers & Y107 Summer Bash in Conway.
Make sure and download “Reflection" on iTunes and check out all things Matthew Huff at www.matthewhuffofficial.com.
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