Matthew Thomas Palmer’s latest release is an intimate display of a songwriter’s raw delivery, done beautifully. A stranger’s story, leaving a lasting impression on an artist’s mind, gave us this single, titled ‘Let Him Down Gently, Let Him Down Easy’.
A folk singer and pianist based in York, Matthew Thomas Palmer sits in front of a piano and microphone, and magic seems to come out rather effortlessly, and ‘Let Him Down Gently, Let Him Down Easy’ is a prime example of this magic. Recorded in the historic and quaint town of Thirsk, ‘Let Him Down Gently, Let Him Down Easy’ has a distinct wintery feel to it, with its lilting piano and festive chords, revolving around melancholic but resilient words.
Composed of just Palmer’s voice and his piano delivery, this piece of folk music is largely freeform and musically liberated from the confines of tempo and time signature, allowing Palmer to wander with his melodic ideas as he sees fitting to the different chapters he is recounting from the story he heard on a chance encounter on a train journey.
Remaining hopeful throughout the song, Matthew Palmer’s voice showcases stellar emotional and technical ranges that go beautifully alongside his dynamic and engaging piano delivery, and except for the titular chorus calls, ‘Let Him Down Gently, Let Him Down Easy’ is a freeing listen that flows rather gently and effortlessly.