Matthew Reid - In The Rain With Dog's

Matthew Reid

​In The Rain With Dog's
self-released; 2016

3.9 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

I never have figured out what people do with their grief, anger, anxiety, apprehension and depression that don’t have some type of creative outlet. As an artist myself I wonder what they do with those emotions? Meditation might work or maybe you will throw it into hitting your quota if you're in sales or do a couple of extra reps at the gym. Of course the manifestation of these emotions can result in much more adverse ways if not dealt with. The reality is we all have to deal with unexpected turbulence in our lives, which is hard to deal with.

Matthew Reid had a year of health scares for his closest loved ones and also went through a rough breakup. I can’t help but think the artistic process of creating his latest and most impressive effort to date In The Rain With Dog's was a cathartic and therapeutic experience. In The Rain With Dog's is an honest, sometimes heartbreaking album full of personal anecdotes well as cultural reference points that often intertwine into the inner thoughts of Reid.

The album opens with “Another Wack Day” which tips it hats to groups like Tribe Called Quest by sampling some of the music. It’s a song that doesn't force too much into it. The verse is little more than a drum beat, a soft sounding electric piano and Reid revitalizes a new energy into the classic beat.

Next up is “Six, Six Thirty” which is a straight up fun song. The music is loose and makes you relax. It has a hint of reggae as Reid raps, “Don't fuck with Morales, he's here and he's riding / drives the dad car, it's his style that they biting. We at the Rocket's game and the people talking shit / but they can't hang with me because the comebacks are too quick.” Reid continues to impress with the lounge-y “Crew Socks,” “Bored At Work” and “Ain't No Thang (The TH).” 

I was impressed by how cohesive In The Rain With Dog's is despite it having a number of different producers. This is an album that you can play from beginning to end and will get more out of it that way. There is an ebb and flow on Reid's best work to date. 

Hopefully, the completion and release of this album gave Reid some sort of sense of peace in regards to the year he has had. If nothing else it will always be a timestamp as to where he was at that point in his life.

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