On his 2006 major-label debut, Nothing Left to Lose, singer/songwriter Mat Kearney comes across as a mix of John Mayer, Jason Mraz, and U2. Kearney has the loose-limbed, acoustic feel of Mayer's earliest work, but he has a hazy hip-hop underpinning to a lot of his songs that recalls Mraz -- plus, like Mr. A-Z himself, he will easily slip between crooned choruses and rapped verses. Then, he shares the sincerity, not to mention the vague Christian undercurrents, of early U2, and he certainly builds on their echoey guitars and arty soundscapes throughout Nothing Left to Lose, which means that he can also occasionally sound like Coldplay here, particularly on the relaxed epic "Crashing Down" and the piano-driven anthemic power allad "In the Middle." It's a modern sound, pitched halfway between adult alternative pop and collegiate jam bands, and since Kearney is an ingratiatingly sincere guy, it's often appealing on a pure sonic level, even if the stylistic mash-ups occasionally sound awkward. In specific, the raps often sound shoehorned into the arrangements, sticking out like sore thumbs even when the hip-hop beats themselves go down easy -- but to his credit, Kearney never sounds as smarmy or self-satisfied as Mraz. There is never a moment on this album where he doesn't sound earnest and serious, a trait that would be an Achilles' heel for most singer/songwriters, but there's an inherent modesty to Kearney that keeps him from sounding lugubrious and self-absorbed. Usually, he simply sounds likeable, thanks to his guy-next-door voice and clean, evocative production. So, he has the sound down on Nothing Left to Lose, but the songs are a little uneven, partially due to the preponderance of awkward ap-rock cuts that sound clunky next to his allads and folky pop, partially due to the fact that his on-record persona is so modest that his songs sound modest too. That said, his modesty is appealing, and so is Nothing Left to Lose, which expands on the strengths his 2004 Inpop debut -- quite literally, since six of the 13 songs here are remixed versions of tracks from that effort -- to position Mat Kearney as a promising AAA singer/songwriter, particularly for those who find recent John Mayer too muscular and recent Coldplay too cold and arty.
A couple weeks ago I went to a local event called "JB and Sandy's Birthday Bash" at Carlos and Charlie's out on Lake Travis. The third band to play was introduced as "Columbia Recording Artist Mat Kearney." Now, at the time, I had no idea who this person was or what type of music he sang.Initially Rushel and I thought that he was not very good. However, throughout the set, we were impressed by ...
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I have a lot of concerts lined up for the next couple of months but the show I am most excited for at the moment has to be: Mat Kearney, House of Blues, Chicago, March 31.Just bought tickets for me and my friends- I'm gathering people from all over for this show, Madison, Racine, Michigan, Chicago, and hopefully Boston :-) Anyone else on here going? It will be my fourth time to see Mat in conc...
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Is anyone going to this show? He's with The Feeling and my other favorite Rocco DeLuca and the Burden, it will be the 4th time I have seen him live. Thankfully he will headline this one as opposed to the tour with John Mayer (not so much a favorite of mine).
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Mat Kearney - All I NeedIn-Flight Safety - Lost (The March Song)Anybody familiar with these tracks?
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Jack Johnson + G. Love + Chris Martin should definitely NOT = something I love a lot and have become obsessed with. but I got the Mat Kearney album and I love it. and I guess that's all that matters. "In the Middle" is my current favorite song.I am so at peace making mix cds. I just made this amazing one for Jonny where it's almost like vinyl because there is a clear line down the middle. ...
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OK, so he's not as good as either one of them, but still this album makes for a very, very good listen. Don't be turned off by the cheese or the rap, embrace them together as one and enjoy!
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From one of my favourite artists for one of my favourite people... nuf said....Something's in the air tonightThe sky's alive with a burning lightYou can mark my words something's about to breakAnd I found myself in a bitter fightWhile I've held your hand through the darkest nightDon't know where you're coming from but you're coming soonTo a kid from Oregon by way of CaliforniaAll of this is mor...
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Well by know we should all know I love random performances...heres a great one...I can almost smell the pomegranates too..Love you Mat
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Mat Kearney is one of my favourite artists, and I do have a soft spot for this particular song.. ok Im a softie... its official now...Love this acoustic performance of Breathe in Breathe out.
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Jack Johnson + G. Love + Chris Martin should definitely NOT = something I love a lot and have become obsessed with. but I got the Mat Kearney album and I love it. and I guess that's all that matters. "In the Middle" is my current favorite song.I am so at peace making mix cds. I just made this amazing one for Jonny where it's almost like vinyl because there is a clear line down the middle. ...
More >
Much fun was had last night at Mat Kearney's show. I promise to write more about it when I finish doing some actual work here at work. Until then, here's a fun challenge:This would be the set list from last night. Can you find the error on the page? Listen to this while you think about it.Ciao!
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A couple weeks ago I went to a local event called "JB and Sandy's Birthday Bash" at Carlos and Charlie's out on Lake Travis. The third band to play was introduced as "Columbia Recording Artist Mat Kearney." Now, at the time, I had no idea who this person was or what type of music he sang.Initially Rushel and I thought that he was not very good. However, throughout the set, we were impressed by ...
More >
Mat Kearney - All I NeedIn-Flight Safety - Lost (The March Song)Anybody familiar with these tracks?
More >
I have a lot of concerts lined up for the next couple of months but the show I am most excited for at the moment has to be: Mat Kearney, House of Blues, Chicago, March 31.Just bought tickets for me and my friends- I'm gathering people from all over for this show, Madison, Racine, Michigan, Chicago, and hopefully Boston :-) Anyone else on here going? It will be my fourth time to see Mat in conc...
More >
Is anyone going to this show? He's with The Feeling and my other favorite Rocco DeLuca and the Burden, it will be the 4th time I have seen him live. Thankfully he will headline this one as opposed to the tour with John Mayer (not so much a favorite of mine).
More >
OK, so he's not as good as either one of them, but still this album makes for a very, very good listen. Don't be turned off by the cheese or the rap, embrace them together as one and enjoy!
More >
I tend to stick to bands I know, namely bands from the sixties and seventies. i was born in the eighties yet own a record player. But I do occasionally come across some more recent finds, artists whose music doesn't sound like cookie-cutter nonsense spun out to make money. My friend recently gave me a Mat Kearney album. By recently I actually mean several months ago. I gave it a listen and enjo...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Undeniable |
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| 2 Nothing Left to Lose |
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| 3 Crashing Down |
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| 4 Girl America |
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| 5 In the Middle |
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| 6 Can't Break Her Fall |
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| 7 What's a Boy to Do |
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| 8 Wait |
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| 9 Bullet |
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| 10 All I Need |
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| 11 Renaissance |
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| 12 Where We Gonna Go from Here |
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| 13 Won't Back Down |
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Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "Nothing Left to Lose")
