Nothing Left To Lose

01/19/2007 10:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Rob O'Connor

There once was a time when young men with acoustic guitars were doomed to walk the earth playing folk festivals, singing about the unfortunate effects of coal dust in the lungs. But then Bob Dylan discovered electricity and MTV discovered Unplugged and acoustic became electric and every James Taylor and son of James Taylor could hook up with a keyboardist and a drummer with artistic immunity. Singer-songwriters suddenly had a whole new universe to explore. Some lost their sincerity and turned ironic. Others became even more serious. Mat Kearney, “a kid from Oregon by way of California” according to the album’s title track, knows how to evoke Coldplay (“Crashing Down”) and he can rap (“Undeniable,” “Girl America”) when he needs more room to speak his mind. He’s got a lot on it, as these diary-like songs indicate. And he’s most at home with the quiet moments that dominate throughout, from the piano ballad (“In the Middle”) to the gentle strum of “Where We Gonna Go From Here” where he seems a bit glummer than his bright future (you’ve got a recording contract, son!) would suggest.