Logan Metz
The Last Remaining Payphone in L.A.
(self-released)

Logan Metz’s The Last Remaining Payphone in L.A. is an absolute delight. Eleven tunes strong, this is singer-songwriter stuff in the wry and fun Randy Newman/Dr. John mode (when they are wry and fun) with Metz’s great New Orleans-infused, growly vocals and piano leading the way. The wonderfully sardonic “Interesting People” opens with its Dr. John shuck and give, Metz’s piano popping along with wonderful horn players behind him. A plinky, slow roll of piano, sweet vocals, and tenor sax informs the ballad “Almost (All Mine).” The title track has a slide guitar and snapping beat moving us along at high-neck, country speed. Harmonies from Lincoln Mendell inform the chorus perfectly. I like the piano ballads a lot – and there are a few of them here. “I Must Be Found” is a gospel-tinged slow tune with those horns once again lifting things to twirly heights. “Jericho” has a flirty violin behind the big drama of Metz’s piano and impassioned singing and “I Got a Woman” has some sad horns and sweet guitar placement behind Metz’s ivories and vocals, though it builds with organ from Mendell and the guitar rising. “Surrender” has strings even louder than the piano and Metz simply pleading “I surrender it all.” Actually, the latter part of The Last Remaining Payphone in L.A. pulls out more mournful piano-informed stops, switching to this slower stuff about half way through, which is perfectly fine as Metz handles this territory expertly. With the beginning of the album more upbeat and jaunty, the slowing-things-down bit is quite welcome. The Last Remaining Payphone in L.A. is great, great stuff.