“Tips & Compliments” is the debut CD from Matt Harlan, a songwriter already well-known in many circles whose studio work is only now making his great songs and moving performances available to all. Matt Harlan has crafted songs of extraordinary expression and melody. He is a force to be reckoned with: Harlan is a winner of multiple songwriting accolades, including awards from the Billboard World Songwriting Contest, American Songwriter Magazine, the Wildflower Arts & Music Festival, Snowbird Mountain Music Festival and as a Regional New Folk winner at Kerrville. He was also a semi-finalist in Prairie Home Companion's national Talent Show. His expressive vocals recall Chris Smither and Chris Knight, shading his poignant songs with soaring heart and aching grit. And he’s done it all for tips and compliments. On “Tips & Compliments,” Harlan is joined by a stellar crew. The disc was produced by Rich Brotherton and features vocals from Phoebe Hunt (Belleville Outfit), fiddle from Warren Hood, and Marty Muse (Robert Earl Keen) on pedal steel. Harlan’s modern roots folk covers nontraditional ground. His songs discuss watching a brother’s heartbreaking slide (“Elizabethtown”), trying to go back home with changed eyes (“Something New”), and making sense of romance through a barroom haze (“You’re Just Drunk”). ‘One of my top ten 2009. Matt Harlan is a songwriter's songwriter. Paints a vivid picture of even the most simple things in life. You are there, you are a part of it and you can feel it. Add that pen to his incredible voice and you have a talent that must be heard by all.’ – Shayne Hollinger, KCUB Stephenville, TX