Too Late for Edelweiss

Most of the time, if a singer/songwriter records an album of covers, it suggests theyre either short on ideas or theyre just goofing off. For Swedish tunesmith Kristian Matsson, better known to fans as the Tallest Man on Earth, his 2022 album Too Late for Edelweiss seems to fall into the latter category, though it was clearly a productive form of play rather than laziness. The album collects ten interpretations of songs from other artists that Matsson recorded in his home studio, and the set list is diverse enough to include tunes from the songbooks of Ralph Stanley, Bon Iver, Lucinda Williams, Yo La Tengo, and the National, among others. While Matsson adds just enough home studio trickery to keep this from being just one guy with his guitar (or banjo) in his living room with occasional washes of electronic accompaniment, these performances are purposefully stark and simple. The focus is on Matssons voice throughout. As an interpretive vocalist, he handles these songs with skill and assurance; his versions of "In My Life" and "Fairest of the Seasons" wont make you forget John Lennon or Nico, yet he puts enough of his own personality and emotion into them that they stand on their own, and he adds a ghostly touch to "Lost Highway" (best known in its recording by Hank Williams) that honors the songs roots as well as bringing it into the present day. Too Late for Edelweiss was originally available only at the merch table at the Tallest Man on Earths shows, and that suggests a proper context for it -- this is clearly a labor of love and a bit of fun thats best heard by Matssons loyal fans rather than being regarded as a major release in his canon. That said, it documents a fine singer putting his spin on some songs he clearly loves, and if you like the Tallest Man on Earths originals, you should find this set of covers pleasing. ~ Mark Deming