Does What He Wants

The second solo LP from the Delta Spirit frontman, Does What He Wants delivers a punchy, emotionally charged blast of headstrong indie rock and soulful Americana that flirt with despondency, but ultimately succumb to beatitude. Arriving just one year after 2016's nervy and acerbic Solicitor Returns, the 11-track set finds Matthew Logan Vasquez operating out of his own home studio in Austin, Texas and employing the talents of the Suffers' Kam Franklin (backing vocals), Shakey Graves' Christopher Booshada (drums), and the Parkington Sisters (strings), to great effect. Vasquez kicks things off in high gear with the propulsive "Same," a feisty R&B/soul-rock anthem that's as pugilistic as it is empowering. The surging electro-pop banger "Fires Down in Mexico" treads a similar sonic course, as does the jubilant "Headed West," but Vasquez hasn't lost his knack for big, Orbison-esque balladry, as evidenced by the beautiful and bruised "Tall Man" and the heartfelt "The Fighter." The topics are heavy -- fatherhood, illness, financial ruin, and mental illness -- but as is the case with his flagship band, the music is largely transcendent. ~ James Christopher Monger