It Could Be Wertz

Matt Wertz’s latest CD Everything in Between is upbeat, friendly and soulful. Wertz is young and personable. What’s not to like? The album is slick without being overproduced. There’s nothing truly unusual or groundbreaking about it but that’s not a bad thing. He doesn’t try to do too much so what he does he does well. Wertz has a sizeable fan base in the Christian rock world from performing at youth camps and his music reflects it. Wertz’ breezy guitar and folksy rock style seem to fit him. He’s said in the past that he’s like “a pair of worn jeans” and he’s right. He’s comfortable as a performer, sounding very much like fellow young guitarist/singer John Mayer. The songs are mostly energetic although there are a few heart-on-your-sleeve ballads. The CD opens with the friendly, bubbly “The Way I Feel,” cheery but not saccharine. The tight “Over You” is a spirited, energetic song about post-breakup regret.

The catchy “Carolina” seems designed to make the young girls swoon. Wertz flirts while acknowledging his propensity for stealing a new heart, singing “this is just my tendency / Forgive me.” The ballads like “I Will Give You What You Need” work nicely too, and the romantic “5:19” is about giving the one you love some space even though you miss them, “holding loose / But ain’t letting go.”

Everything in Between shows Matt Wertz to be a solid performer. His biggest obstacle to larger success may be sounding so much like better-known artists like Mayer and Gavin DeGraw that he could be forgotten.