Crys Matthews Is The Fire
I have had the pleasure to see a few artists a Joe’s Pub now, but none were so intimate as coming to see Crys Matthews sit down and sing with her audience. The way she spoke and sang to her crowd you felt like you were sitting in a living room with her taking a break from drawing up the latest set of signs for your next protest together.
Crys Matthews’s political folks music will bring you back the 60s/70s when artists were focused on singing about peace and trying to change the world. While I think artists still want to do this, the media isn’t putting it to the forefront. But personally, I would love for artists like Crys to get all the attention they deserve.
As a black lesbian, who is the daughter of a preacher, she checks a lot of the social issue boxes these days and it is clear that she is passionate about helping the world be a better place. In a world that is so combative it is refreshing to hear clearly progressive music that is still very much trying to bridge the gap – “Call them out, but then call them in”.
With a voice like the angels from church she will have you sitting with tears in your eyes as she sings about women’s issues, transgender rights, Black Lives Matters, and so much more. Of course, from time to time you will also want to shout out in solidarity!
Jejune was lucky enough to interview Crys back in 2021 and have listened to her music since (you can find her on our Spotify list too!), but hearing her live really brought a rawness to her music which you can’t experience listening to it over your phone or computer (you should still listen to it, but if you can, you should also see her live). The passion she feels when she rages for women’s rights, equality, and even feeling her loss when she sings about her late dog is nothing but heartwarming.
