Review: Mat Kearney "Nothing Left to Lose"

Warning! Don't be fooled by what you hear on the radio. Too often the single that is promoted is not a fair and accurate representation of the rest of the material on the CD from which it came. Such is the case for Mat Kearney's 2006 release, "Nothing Left to Lose". I found the single (title track) to be pretty good when I downloaded it for free many months ago from iTUNES. Then I saw the CD at the local library and figured I was overdue in hearing more from this guy.

Oh my poor ears...he raps! And raps, and raps, and raps. There are only a few songs where he keeps his rapping, uh, under wraps. I simply can't get into the rap that contaminates his otherwise fairly decent songs. It came as quite a shock to someone who has only heard the single, in which not one word is rapped. Track 3, "Crashing Down," is rap-free and a worthwhile listen just as strong as "Nothing Left to Lose." Track 8 ("Wait") is also really good, with just a touch of the rap.

When the inane rapping is left out, some of the tunes shine, but others are unfortunately quite boring. Mat is akin to Snow Patrol, The Fray, and Coldplay, all of which find great success during shows like Grey's Anatomy. However, they can't write a full album of sustainable material to save their life. CDs by these artists just sound like one long drawn out song. At least I got the CD from the library and did not buy it...still, I wasted time and should have done my homework first. If anyone should feel proud of an accomplishment, it should be the marketing genius behind releasing the non-rap song as a single. Lots of Mat Kearney is likely to be found at a used CD store near you.

iPOD-worthy: 2, 3, 8

Video for "Nothing Left to Lose":