Strays Don't Sleep [CD+DVD]

Strays Don't Sleep | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 13, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: CD+DVD
• Label: Hybrid Recordings
• ASIN: B000FIHJMO
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #189,831 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Love Don't Owe You Anything

2. Pretty Girl

3. Martin Luther Ave.

4. Night Is Still

5. For Blue Skies

6. Spirit Fingers

7. April's Smiling at Me

8. Cars and History

9. Falling Asleep with You

Editorial Reviews

Strays Don't Sleep is a kind of cinematic blend between Sinatra, Roxy Music and Curtis Mayfield through the lens of ambient urban folk music. All traffic lights and rain, glowing windows from late night high rises and sparse noise. It's a kind of sublime love letter to loneliness, hope and hopelessness. Moods so sharp they're epic. Words so personal they're universal.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Off the beaten path, June 13, 2006

By 

Stephen Doig (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strays Don't Sleep (Audio CD)

Matthew Ryan and Neilson Hubbard are two exceptionally talented yet criminally overlooked artists from the songwriting mecca of Nashville. Jointly, they are Strays Don't Sleep, and they have combined their skills to create a beautiful, brooding, soulful, late-night pop record - the sort best experienced alone, in the dark, with headphones on.

Ryan and Hubbard are both Americana/alt.country style singer-songwriters, and both cover similar emotional territory in their solo careers, but in terms of execution their differences are like night and day. Where Matthew Ryan's vocals are dark, gritty, visceral, Neilson Hubbard's are lighter and more open in tone and are delivered with a haunting sincerity reminiscent of the Jayhawks frontman Gary Louris. Each takes their turn at lead-vocal with the other playing a supporting role, and when the two voices converge the effect is quite magical.

As well as great harmonizing, these songs are built around an interesting mix of acoustic & electric guitars, bass, synth, keyboard loops, and beats, and there's a deep sense of musicality and integrity to everything that's been crafted here. Though the quality is great throughout, the middle section of this CD is particularly affecting with the hushed beauty of 'Night Is Still', the chilling and evocative 'For Blue Skies' and the sad, beautiful and hopeful 'Spirit Fingers'.

Originally intented only as a side-project or experiment, Strays Don't Sleep has become something much more - a full-fledged group and an exciting creative force. Hopefully this isn't the last we hear from them.

Like this? Try>
Matthew Ryan - Regret Over The Wires
Neilson Hubbard - Why Men Fail
The Blue Nile - High
The Jayhawks - Sound Of Lies

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth Checking Out, July 26, 2006

By 

Brian Dun "l8comer" (Irvine, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strays Don't Sleep (Audio CD)

I'm not a huge Matthew Ryan fan, but I too saw them on Conan and was very impressed with their performance. The gritty voice and the guitar harmonies are a nice compliment to one another. The two outstanding songs from this album are "Love Don't Owe You A Thing" and "Martin Luther Ave." This album would get the full five stars if it was a bit more uptempo, especially on some of the later songs.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Video accompanying Audio? Interesting Concept, June 29, 2006

By 

Matthew Raspanti "M@" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strays Don't Sleep (Audio CD)

I first heard of this group through their video microsite "The Film Den". Not only are the songs intriguing but the videos produced to accompany the music are breathtaking. After that I rushed to buy the album and it has been non-stop in my cd player. I have come to find that this cd is very relaxing and puts me in a very tranquil state. It is truly a masterful blend of styles that is sure to please any listener.