By day, you can find country singer-songwriter Matt Daniel riding horseback across sprawling Texas fields. By night, he can be seen performing in a dimly lit music venue for a captivated audience, cheering on his unmistakably country sound.
His music channels some of the genre’s defining elements, like rich storytelling and soulful vocals that soar with a yodel-like tone during choruses. His mix of country-western and classic country stylings are accentuated by the polished Lonestar flare. While listening to his work, comparisons to some of country’s earliest and most influential musicians come to mind, from Hank Williams to Patsy Cline.
Daniel’s music is both a tribute to the legacy of the golden age of country music, and a testament to this authentic style still having a place in the genre today.
‘Pure Country Gold’
When discussing his music, Daniel has described it as “New country music with an old country sound.” For fans of traditional country, the songwriter is a refreshing find. A dedicated horseman with golden pipes, he’s just as much cowboy as he is musician, and his music reflects the lifestyle he leads.His songs have been referred to as “pure country gold” by listeners and “honest by-God country music” by reviewers.
He’s caught the attention of country music lovers with singles like “Weatherman.” The song’s gentle twang and honest lyrics sounds like it could have been released in the 1990s heyday of polished country tunes. The title is a creative metaphor, where Daniel declares he can’t be the barometer for a relationship that produces unsettled weather conditions.
The title track to his most recent album, “The Poet,” shows his range as a wordsmith. In the song, he reflects on the various ways he’s been categorized as an artist who doesn’t fit the mainstream mold. In between flowing pedal steel and a fiddle solo, he suggests he’s searching for a different identity than being a “poet,” “singer,” or “picker.”
He explores the beauty of rekindled love with “Long Way Home” and gets vulnerable in the tender ballad “Brand New Start,” which finds the artist talking honestly with God about the ups and downs of his life’s journey.
While many of today’s country performers opt for an amplified feel with electric guitars and a full band, Daniel takes a minimalist approach and favors more organic instrumentation native to the country music genre. This philosophy is evident throughout his work, but it shines in tunes like “Lonely Train,” which features plenty of country-western picking, and “Junebug’s Song,” a languid piece accented by steel guitar and violin that echoes late-1940s and early-1950s country music.
Daniel prominently displays a “God Bless Texas” sticker on his guitar case, and he likes to pay homage to the state’s cowboy lifestyle that he embodies with his fan-favorite track “Keepin’ Me Alive.” The upbeat single placed No. 1 on Texas regional radio in 2024.
‘The Story of Hank’
Daniel has stated that he enjoys “reviving classic country music traditions” with his songs.
A standout among his originals is the scaled back, heartfelt tune, “The Story of Hank,” which honors one of country music’s founding fathers, Hank Williams. It’s a story-song with lyrics that touch on aspects of the late performer’s life. Daniel mentions “Lovesick Blues,” Williams’s breakout hit. He also belts out the line, “Take this pain off my back,” which alludes to Williams’s battle with spina bifida. Lines like, “I can see Jesus calling me now,” speak to his spiritual journey that sometimes made its way into his music.
The chorus repeats, “For so many, these tunes I’ll leave/ For all to know/ How it should be,” and the comforting words round out a graceful tribute that gives dignity and pays respect to the pioneering songwriter’s struggles and triumphs.
Carrying the Past Forward
“There were hungry days and nights, there were countless tanks of gas, there were meals bought by strangers that kept me from going hungry, couches people let me sleep on, hundreds of thousands of miles of dirt and blacktop, people who took me in like family, friends for life, experiences I’ll never forget, and the good Lord’s grace and sovereignty that made this record possible. This is a landmark, a mile marker, a stepping stone. These songs are chapters of my life. It was in no way done on my own.”
Daniel’s humble, understated nature goes hand in hand with his upbringing in America’s heartland. Like other country performers, he sports a classic ensemble of blue jeans, a button-up shirt, and cowboy hat. Another statement that’s more a part of him than a part of his ensemble is his lone guitar. It accompanies him to writing sessions and shows. He bought the large-bodied acoustic from a man selling his guitar collection. After just one strum, he knew the guitar was a perfect fit, and it hasn’t left his side since.
In the title track to “The Poet,” Daniel tackles a common issue among artists—imposter syndrome—as he sings the first line of the chorus, “I guess I’m trying to say I feel unqualified.”
As far as keeping the fire of country music’s traditional forms burning bright, Daniel skillfully stokes the flames. His growing repertoire shows that he’s one of the most qualified voices creating country music that both honors the genre’s past and carries it forward into new territories.
