Nothing Left to Lose

Description

Nothing Left to Lose is the sophomore full-length album by the American singer and songwriter Mat Kearney, released on Aware Records in April 2006, manufactured and distributed by Columbia Records, a division of Sony BMG Music Entertainment. The album was recorded by Robert Marvin and was produced by Marvin and Mat Kearney. Mixed by Michael H. Brauer.

This is, of course, the revised version of 2004’s tremendous ‘Bullet‘ album with new tracks added, some taken away and the whole thing now pitched at the mainstream. With Kearney currently on tour with John Mayer and Sheryl Crow the push seems to be working. Kearney’s overall style swings between the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Coldplay – at times his delivery is so similar to Chris Martin’s that it is almost impossible to tell them apart especially in tracks such as «Crashing Down» and «In The Middle». Kearney employs a neat trick of alternating a sung delivery with slow rapping which works incredibly well and adds variety to the album. Although there is always an underlying spiritual content, there is no direct reference to Jesus. That being said, the final track «Won’t Back Down» does point towards a higher power and is complete with a distant refrain of “hallelujah” at the end of the song. Kearney’s real skills lie in painting a picture through his lyrics – in particular the spoken word sections – and a prime example of this occurs in «Renaissance» when he graphically details his experience of a car crash and, presumably, a spiritual encounter that took place at the same time. In fact, there is so much to take and interpret from each song that the lyrics featured in the inlay card could quite easily exist in their own right without the music. Musically, most tracks are either guitar or piano led and is again very much in the pounding Coldplay vein. Kearney does throw in the delightful Jack Johnson-tinged «Where We Gonna Go From Here» – complete with accordion, banjo and toy piano whilst «All I Need» features a string arrangement to suitably vary the bass, drums and guitar format. Whilst perhaps not the most musically original album, ‘Nothing Left To Lose’ is a thoroughly enjoyable offering from an artist clearly making headway. [Lins Honeyman, Cross Rhythms, September 2006]

> iTunes (https://music.apple.com/us/album/nothing-left-to-lose-expanded-edition/1514638894)

CD tracklist:

01. Undeniable – 4:27
02. Nothing Left To Lose – 4:24
03. Crashing Down – 4:15
04. Girl America – 4:03
05. In The Middle – 4:16
06. Can’t Break Her Fall – 3:52
07. What’s A Boy To Do – 4:03
08. Wait – 4:39
09. Bullet – 4:23
10. All I Need – 4:28
11. Renaissance – 4:50
12. Where We Gonna Go From Here – 4:07
13. Won’t Back Down – 5:11

Note: The album was re-issued in 2007 featuring the bonus track “Breathe In Breathe Out”.

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