
New Wax Nashville's Matthew Ryan has been quietly releasing soul-bearing albums with workmanlike precision over the years. Last year's Matthew Ryan VS. The Silver State , one of my favorite albums from 2008, was filled with childhood reminiscence and musings on lost love. On Dear Lover , Ryan's 12th album, the veteran songwriter visits similar emotional territory while going all-out DIY. Not only was the bulk of the album recorded, mixed, and mastered in his Nashville home studio, but Ryan also financed and self-released the album. [...]