Mat Kearney just seems to know what he's doing. As my life becomes exponentially busier by the second, I find it hard to sit down and listen to a full album for sheer appreciation purposes. I get new albums for reviews, but I never seem to always listen to the whole album, and if I do, it is in numerous listening sessions where I can't keep my mind on anything. Fortunately, the nice people over at Columbia Records sent us a copy of Mat Kearney's City of Black & White, and I immediately bumped it in my car. I was able to listen to the whole CD more than one time through, and all in one session. As I expected, Mat did a phenomenal job. He put together an experience, weighting all songs equally, and devoting his heart and soul to every track. The album was golden.

As I was going through the tracks to select my favorites, I found it extremely difficult to pick a few out because they were all really good. Usually artists invest all of their energy into one or two songs, but with Mat, he makes sure to keep himself in check. My favorite track on the album had to be "Annie", followed by "Fire and Rain", "Closer to Love", "Lifeline", "New York to California", in no particular order (actually in numerical order as they appear on the album).

Mat is special because he's an acoustic artist. His music is soft, his voice soothing, and lyrics powerful. It seems as if he transitioned more from his rapping and upbeat days, into a calmer state of euphoria, but his message is not lost. The first time I heard about Mat Kearney was when I saw him open up for John Mayer and Cheryl Crowe a few years ago at Jones Beach. He was hot, new, fresh, and the man. My friends saw him Wednesday night, opening for Keane, and remarked that he was real, down to earth, but more chill. They said he just sounded exactly like he does on his albums. While I enjoy his style, I feel like this album was a little too chill compared to his last album, and he's beginning to fade away as he drops the hip hop funk. It would be terrible to lose Mat at the expense of his awesome music, but it seems like people these days are pushing for Kanye, Shopping Cart Drizzy Drake, Lady Gaga, etc. Don't get me wrong, I grew up on Classic Rock, and alternative rock like Guster and Dispatch, and Mat appeals to me. But to the masses...I don't know what he can do. We need to push him over the edge, and I don't know if he can do that with a soft album like this one.

That being said however, I rate this album a solid A for the overall experience that the album provides. Every track has its own special meaning, and every track has a purpose. I hope that Mat experiences success with this release, and that we see him grow into the future. Man, I love Keane, but what if he opened for Coldplay...what if?

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• Mat Kearney Explains 'Concise' New Album (idiomag.com)

So my friend and I were talking and all of a sudden his phone goes off. My friend hates answering the phone (for some stupid reason) and his ringtone is set to a sweet sounding song that I have never heard of before. The ringtone finishes up, and his voicemail goes off, and a message is left. As we continued to talk, I asked my friend is his ringtone was a song by Coldplay. He laughed and told me I was out of my mind! Apparently the track was a Keane song, and if you have ever heard them before, they sound eerily similar to the UK band Coldplay. Anyway, I went back home and the first thing I did was go on my computer and search up this new musical group I had heard of. I ended up stumbling into Amazon.com and two minutes later, I bought Under The Iron Sea. The CD consisted of twelve solid tracks and each and every song filled my ears with a soothing sound that really relaxed me. It is interesting because their sound is SO similar to Coldplay. You have the piano based music which Coldplay is big on, and then you have the drum set that comes in (just like with Coldplay) and they also throw a guitar in there too! The sound ends up being very similar to Coldplay. Keane consists of Tim Rice-Oxley, Tom Chaplin, and Richard Hughes. The trio has come a long way and they have recently (2008) put out another album that we will be covering on the blog pretty soon.

If you are a Coldplay fan, I have a feeling you'll enjoy listening to Keane. They have that calm/rock sound to them, one that is hard to reproduce. Some Coldplay fans hate Keane due to the extreme similarities between the two bands. These fans that are Anti-Keane state that Kean "stole" the Coldplay sound and are using it for their own success. In my opinion, music is music, and style is meant to be shared. The Fray sound pretty similar to many bands out there, and that is not a BAD thing, rather, it puts more music out there and caters to many fans who don't have any new music to listen to. Under The Iron Sea was a fantastic album, one I highly suggest for all to go out and purchase, or at least give one of their six singles off the album a listen. If you like Coldplay, The Fray, or Death Cab For Cutie, then you will for sure enjoy the sweet melodies and tunes that Keane pumps out on this album. Go to Amazon or the iTunes Music Store (or even your local CD store, or local Used CD store) and pick up a copy of both Under The Iron Sea and Perfect Symmetry, I promise I won't let you down with this purchase! If you were Keane, you would listen to me and take my advise!

Under The Iron Sea Track Listing:

"Atlantic"
"Is It Any Wonder?"
"Nothing in My Way"
"Leaving So Soon?"
"A Bad Dream"
"Hamburg Song"
"Put It Behind You"
"The Iron Sea"
"Crystal Ball"
"Try Again"
"Broken Toy"
"The Frog Prince"

Under The Iron Sea & Perfect Symmetry In Stores Now!!!

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Tags: Keane

1. Re-Anna - Charles Hamilton
   
2. Heartbreaker (Feat. John Legend) - MSTRKRFT
   
3. Congratulations - Jeff Who?
   
4. Girlfriend Ringtone (Feat. Lil' Wayne & Sean Garrett) - Mishon
   
5. Absolute - The Fray
   
6. Every Girl (Feat. Lil' Wayne, Drake, Jae Millz, & Gutta) - Young Money
   
7. Cold Chillin' - Charles Hamilton
   
8. November 18th - Drake
   
9. Colorful Clothes (Feat. Lil' Wayne, Maino, Lupe Fiasco, Wes Fif, Trae, Hunt & Joe Young) - DJ Yoda
   
10. Successful (Feat. Trey Songz & Lil' Wayne) - Drake
    
11. Sunnycalifornia Part 2 - Inverse
    
12. Welcome to Suburbia - Jeremy Messersmith
    
13. Atlantic - Keane
14. Nightlife (Feat. Tre' and Young Chris) - Wale
    
15. Song Cry/Lost (Remix) (Feat. Coldplay) - Jay-Z
    
16. I'm On A Boat (Feat. T-Pain) - The Lonely Island
17. Rock My Chain - Mishon
18. The Mayor (Feat. The Cool Kids, Ghostface Killah, Scarface & DJ AM) - N.A.S.A.
    
19. Redemption Song (Bob Marley Cover) - Raheem DeVaughn
    
20. Amy Winehouse - J-Eye

Check Back Next Week For Our New Top 20 Tracks I'm Diggin'