The Songs Costa Sings

songs we singFor those of us that grew up on the sounds of acoustic legends like James Taylor and Jim Croce, the name Matt Costa is one that will eventually become a familiar one.

Creating a hybrid between acoustic rock, folk and Indy rock, Costa’s musical talents are engulfed in unbridled passion and vigor, channeled through lyrics of love, life and loss.

His debut album, “The Songs We Sing,” which was released in 2005 on Jack Johnson’s Brush Fire Label, is a modern day masterpiece that is as charming as it is catchy. Consisting of 13 tracks, “The Songs We Sing” brings Costa’s talent to the forefront, showcasing his down to earth and comfortable voice [imagine a cross between a less pop-oriented Howie Day with the charisma of Steve Miller] and some of the best acoustic licks any fan of the genre could ask for, creating one of the best albums of the year.

Fans of Jack Johnson’s music will feel right at home with Costa, while fans of soft-rock and folk may need to listen a little more before they’re hooked; but nevertheless will be in time.

If Costa’s imaginative lyrics, soulful acoustic sound and passion drenched voice isn’t enough, he’s also pretty versatile. The song “Behind the Moon” sounds like something you’d hear on a 30-year old Bob Dylan album and “Whisky and Wine” has an almost Jazz/Big Band feel to it. However, despite his ability to give his music a multi-layered flavor at times, Costa is at his best during songs like “Sweet Rose,” “Cold December” and “Sunshine,” where he utilizes his voice and guitar ability more than ever before, creating modern rock textures and themes that are sure to be implemented by dozens of other in the near future.

Overall, “The Songs We Sing” is a multifaceted enigma of modern-day music that has something for everyone. A tribute to the great song scribes of the past, yet a thought-provoking and awe-inspiring initial release for a great new artist, it is a worthy addition to anyone’s musical library and is a great change of pace for those who are sick of the watered down commercial rock that is flooding the market nowadays.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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