Review Fix Exclusive: Matt Stansberry Talks Past Heartache, Present Hope & Future Love

Review Fix chats with singer/songwriter Matt Stansberry, who discusses the creative process behind his upcoming double-album, “Past Heartache, Present Hope & Future Love.”

This month, Stansberry will simultaneously release two albums – the third full length Future Love (9/8/17) from Matt Stansberry & The Romance, their modern take on a throwback sound. Currently they are featured on PBS Sun Studio Sessions airing across the country - “poised to be one of the breakout acts of 2017.”

And his solo acoustic, soulful rock LP Past Heartache, Present Hope (9/8/17)– the track “In The Fire” premiered on GroundSounds: “The track builds from earnest vocals and unfolds into an easygoing song with beautiful harmonies that will simply make you happy.”

They will also be available as a double album titled Past Heartache, Present Hope & Future Love.

Review Fix: What makes this album and LP special?

Matt Stansberry: There are several aspects to these new albums that make it stand out to me. It’s actually two albums – a solo album featuring bandmates and a new full band, Romance album. Also, the new Romance album explores some new territory sonically. Whereas our first two albums pull in heavy influences from 50s rock n’ roll and 60s soul influences, this album pulls in much more influences from the 70s, specifically funk and classic rock inspirations, but overall I think it’s just more of where we’ve been heading as a band with our live shows.

Review Fix: Why did you decide to release them at the same time?

Stansberry: The primary reason in releasing both the solo and full band albums at the same time is due to how the songs from both albums will affect the live show. The solo album features members from the band on each track, so doing these songs as part of a Romance show just made sense to us. We really wanted to showcase everyone in this way and provide our fans with a close up of the talent we have in the group.

Review Fix: What track are you most proud of?

Stansberry: A track called “Show Me Some Love.” I’m proud of how the band sounds on the track, it really captures the energy of the band especially in the outro section, and the message is something I truly believe in…’show some love, don’t show no hate’.

Review Fix: Is there a story behind it?

Stansberry: The song was originally written backstage, on the fly, right before a set at Beale On Broadway in St Louis. It went over really well with the crowd and the venue owner thought we were kidding when we told him we just made it up minutes before taking the stage. We ended up making some pretty big alterations to the song, including changing the the original chorus line which was “Show Me The Way”, but the right ingredients were there from the beginning so we kept improving on it before hitting the studio in Memphis.

Review Fix: What are the goals with this album?

Stansberry: To take it to a bigger audience with more tour dates and playing in new markets. This record is most of all a way to take the show home. I love that people buy or stream our music online but I’m driven most by our audience experiencing it live too. There’s just something special about experiencing it live.

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard you?

Stansberry: American Rock N’ Roll infused with soul and funk.

Review Fix: Bottom line, why must someone listen to this album?

Stansberry: I truly hope it makes people feel good. A reoccurring theme for us is fans telling us they feel uplifted after listening to our music or experiencing a show. I believe this album will make that same connection, just expressed in some new ways.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Stansberry: More shows and more songs. I’ve already got plans for the next album, but first things first we want to expand our audience and our reach with this new music, so some more tour dates and appearances over the coming months.