Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Music Review: Mat Kearney's "Young Love"

Get Swept Up in "Young Love"


Mat Kearney's fourth album debuted earlier this month as number one on iTunes, entitled "Young Love."  The mellow singer/songwriter from Oregon just got married (you can see their ethereal wedding photos here) and the first single on the album, "Hey Mama," tells the tale of how he met his wife Annie.  To get an idea of what Kearney sounds like, take a smidgen of the playful singsong lyrics of Jason Mraz and mix with a healthy dose of the resounding croon of Coldplay's Chris Martin.  Throw in that Kearney can softly rap like nobody's business and you have a soulful singer who can capture the ear (and hearts) of a wide variety of listeners.

Whether clap-happy or echoing of loss and loneliness, there is a common thread that carries his songs: hope.  This is very important.  It keeps the slower songs from becoming too heavy.  They have just the right amount of weight to take your breath away and leave you lost in thought.

On iTunes, Kearney's music is categorized as "pop" and "religious."  A sense of spirituality comes through in his music, but it's never overpowering.  He is a storyteller, and he uses his music to pass on messages of encouragement and love.

Kearney is wonderful live.  His voice is as full and sensational as it is on his albums.  He is detached a bit, deep in his performance on stage, but likely to suddenly throw himself into the crowd, singing his heart out at the end of his performance.


Want more? You can listen to his tunes and check out tour dates here. Let me know what you think of M.K.!

Songs Not to Miss:   
--Ships in the Night
--Learning to Love Again
--Count on Me

No comments:

Post a Comment