New Music Review: Mat Kearney "City of Black and White"

Mat Kearney is a Nashville based singer/songwriter who has witnessed his popularity skyrocket thanks to his tunes appearing on ABC's Grey's Anatomy, ABC Family's Kyle XY, and (at the time) NBC's Scrubs. His new album City of Black and White was recorded at Blackbird Studios in Nashville. He has begun touring this month with Keane and The Helio Sequence.

Mat Kearney - City of Black and White (7.5/10)

Don't get me wrong, the 7.5 score for Kearney's new album isn't because it isn't any good, because it is. He probably would have received an 8.5 or 9 if he didn't sound so much like Chris fucking Martin from Coldplay. Honestly, I would probably like Coldplay more if Martin, his wife, and their fruit-based children moved to Cambodia and Kearney took his place. Enough ranting, we're here to praise Mat Kearney and his fantastic new effort, not dis Chris Martin and his band The Song-Stealing 4 err, Coldplay.

City of Black and White sounds just as I described it earlier, like the B side of a Coldplay album. All of the songs flow fantastically well. The lead single "Closer to Love" brings all the pieces of who Mat Kearney is together into one neat little package and the rest of the album ties it off with a tiny bow. No one track really stands out to any great degree, with the one glaring exception of "Fire and Rain", which will stop you dead in your tracks and make you listen much like watching a NASCAR race for the crashes. There isn't really anything special about it, but the arrangement is too good to ignore. The first time I listened through it, I paid particular attention to each song, and was kind of....eh. Once I listened a second, and third time, I found myself motivated and moving about doing other things (such as getting dressed for work). It is one of those albums you could put on for a drive to Kalamazoo to make the trip seem shorter and provide a pleasant backdrop for random conversation and a soundtrack for the boring spots such as the part just past Albion before Battle Creek where its all farm-y and not much to look at.

Gut response to the album would have given it a 4 or 5 score, but luckily for Mat Kearney, I don't score based on my gut, and gave it a few more listens for flow and arrangement, and to see if I missed anything of relative potential epic-ness. Unfortunately for Mat, those additional listens turned me off to the fact that he sounds way too much like Chris Martin for me and if I heard any of this on the radio, I'd turn it off for fear that I would like a Coldplay song.

Tomorrow: SATURDAY!!! I will (try) to give a brief review of the NEW Our Lady Peace single being released tonight at 5 on MuchMusic (Canada) and MSN Canada. Also, while I'm at it, this weekend may feature reviews of Passion Pit, Jason Lytle, and White Rabbits.