Matt Pryor - Confidence Man

Confidence Man (2008, Vagrant) Matt Pryor's first studio album. ***

After the Get Up Kids disbanded in 2005, Pryor hasn't just been mulling around and twiddling his thumbs. He's been working on a delicate set of acoustic songs, all nicely tucked away into his solo debut Confidence Man. It's nothing groundbreaking and it doesn't fully recognize Pryor as any songwriting genius; all of these are still two-to-three minute numbers that aren't necessarily skillfully played. But what Pryor is going for is feeling, and occassionally he makes it work. Among the dribble of unintentional filler is "Loralai," an innocent piece with a beautiful harmony. "Confidence Man" is the best out of the bunch, with a swaying, easy summer afternoon felt harmonica, inspired by a mix of Bob Dylan and Ben Folds. And while the rest comes straight from Pryor's own mediocre sound, it's still something he put his heart into, and for that it's respectable.