Mat Kearney - Nothing Left to Lose (Audio CD - 2006)

Although he hails from Nashville, this singer-songwriter could easily be voted 2006's Least Likely to Don a Cowboy Hat. Instead of twang, Kearney conjures up a mélange of Coldplay-styled sensitive-guy rock and a low-slung strain of rap-folk that's not all that far removed from G. Love's forays into that little-explored realm. When he's in the former mode, as on the arcing ballad "All I Need," Kearney turns relatively minimalist, leaning on a simple piano line for support but carrying the tune with his supple, affable voice. When he lets his funkier side shine -- most notably on the groove-based "Undeniable" and "Bullet" (far and away the disc's most aggressive number) -- he gussies things up a little more, but not at the expense of losing the organic feel he so clearly values. Nothing Left to Lose, which contains new performances of a handful of tracks from Kearney's 2004 album, Bullet, marks his first major mainstream inroad, but he has gotten some prior notice on the Christian scene. That spirituality -- while certainly evident on songs like the title track and the introspective "Wait" -- provides a subtle undercurrent in his songs, rather than an obtrusive undertow. In other words, Kearney (like, say, T-Bone Burnett or even Bono) is more interested in imparting uplift than conversion. More to the point, he's as interested in delivering a good tune as a good message -- which makes Nothing Left to Lose an unqualified winner.

Condition:NEW. Punched upc.

TRACK LISTINGS

1 Undeniable 4:26
2 Nothing Left to Lose 4:24
3 Crashing Down 4:14
4 Girl America 4:03
5 In the Middle 4:16
6 Can't Break Her Fall 3:52
7 What's a Boy to Do 4:02
8 Wait 4:38
9 Bullet 4:23
10 All I Need 4:27
11 Renaissance 4:49
12 Where We Gonna Go from Here 4:06
13 Won't Back Down 5:10