Nothing Left To Lose by Mat Kearney

This is our first review for a music CD. I've never written a review for music before, and during the course of writing this one, I've come to the realization that writing reviews for literature is much easier for me that reviewing music.

I am reviewing a CD called Nothing Left To Lose by the artist, Mat Kearney. This CD is not available in the county library system, but you might be able to request it through the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) system. You can also go to http://matkearney.com/ to listen to some of his songs, and if you do a search for him on http://youtube.com/ you can listen to his songs and view some of his music videos to sample his music.

Mat Kearney. Most of you will want to know--what genre does he sing? Is he country? No. Is he rock? No. Is he pop? Well. Yes and no. Is he rap? Well. Again: yes and no. Kearney wrote or co-wrote every song on this CD and co-produced the CD. He is an extremely talented songwriter and vocalist his style can best be described as a blending of pop and rap. For about half the songs on the CD he uses both rap and sung vocals. Each song is at least as good as the one before it.

There are some clear standouts, and here are my hi-lights--my favorites--from the CD.

"All I Need"-- My friend thinks this is a sweet song. Maybe so, but for me, it is a very sad song as it tells the story of a couple as they weather Hurricane Katrina, and they do not know how well, if at all, they'll survive the night as the storm rages and the waters rise. It is one of my most favorite tracks on the CD.

"Undeniable"-- This is the opening track on the CD; it seamlessly blends rap and sung vocals for a unique song delivery.

"Breathe In Breathe Out" -- This is a bonus track on the CD, and it's the theme for the current season of the ABC show, Grey's Anatomy. It reminds me of some of Coldplay's songs.

I highly recommend this CD to anyone who enjoys listening to different types of music, such as pop, rock, rap, or country. If you are a hardcore country fan, for example, and you refuse to listen to anything except for country music like one person I know, you may not enjoy it, although you should still give it a try.

--Reviewed by Ms. Angie

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