Kaela Tierney and Gabriella Tutino/The Mirror
In today’s music industry, it’s difficult for singer-songwriters to establish a name and an original sound for themselves. There are only so many songs and so many instruments that can be used before it all sounds the same.
Oregon-born and Tennessee-based solo artist Mat Kearney is an original.
With the ability to blend musical instrumentation, a spoken word rap flow, and singing in his music, Kearney has been able to maintain a fresh and welcoming sound in the music industry.
Kearney broke onto the music scene back in 2004 with his album “Bullet” but didn’t reach critical acclaim until 2006 with his single “Nothing Left to Lose” off the same-titled album. The song spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Top 100, peaking in popularity around February 2007. He just released his fourth album “Young Love” containing the singles “Hey Mama” and “Ships in the Night.”
Upon first hearing Kearney, he sounds like Chris Martin of Coldplay gone solo, but with a slight Southern Twang.
The musical similarities, however, stop there.
What makes Kearney’s music really unique is his rapping. Not the type of rap of modern hip-hop and R&B, but the spoken word rap that is distinctive to poetry slams.
Kearney has thoughtful, provocative lyrics that address social issues in America, heartbreak, and all that is in between. The emotion and enthusiasm in Kearney’s voice when he sings is the selling point, giving his music a deep, soulful feel.
As a solo artist, Kearney can easily transition from simple acoustic songs to piano-based tracks, to music that is a blend of both. However, being a solo artist, Kearney is limited in his choice of instrumentation. While Kearney’s style distinguishes him from other solo artists, his music tends to lean on the repetitive side.
One of his best qualities: Mat Kearney is a fan of the Stags. During his concert at Toad’s Place of New Haven last Wednesday, Kearney spent time with a mostly college-age audience, asking students what universities they were from and what their mascots were. He seemed to latch onto the Fairfield Stags the most, flashing the familiar hand gesture while talking about the mascot.
Kearney’s interactions with the crowd weren’t just ways to kill time. Later during his set, he free-styled about the night, mentioning the neighboring college and universities while rapping about his philosophy of life.
Mat Kearney’s stop at Toad’s Place was part of the second leg of his “Young Love Tour,” which is promoting his most recent album.
Accompanied by a full band—friends of his from the opening band Leagues—Kearney mixed up the performance by alternating between old favorites like “Breathe In, Breathe Out” and his more current songs such as “Closer to Love.”
The mix of love melodies with upbeat sing-a-longs made the concert enjoyable—there was never a lull during the hour and a half set.
The small size of Toad’s Place allows for more intimate concerts. Kearney took advantage of the standard-sized crowd to jump offstage and run into the mass, taking pictures with his fans, all while singing.
Mat Kearney’s performance was full of energy: calm like his music, but hyped-up enough to have the crowd moving and dancing to every song.
More information about Mat Kearney and the tour can be found on his website, http://matkearney.com/default.aspx.
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