You Oughta Know : Mat Kearney

As a teen Mat Kearney collected his thoughts in journals, arranging ideas, beliefs, and musings into poetic paragraphs. These days, when he's singing one of his tunes, he drops into spoken word mode if he thinks it's the best way for a lyric to be rendered - call him a momentary MC. Buck 65 and The Streets do something similar, but Kearney's approach stands out because of the fluid way it moves between Jack Johnson ease and Damien Rice intensity. His NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE is pure pop, with catchy choruses strengthening the emotional impact of his songs. A couple of those tunes have helped bolster the atmosphere of both "One Tree Hill" and "Gray's Anatomy." It's because Kearney, a Nashville resident and native of the Northwest, who believes most of his tunes are... Moreğ

As a teen Mat Kearney collected his thoughts in journals, arranging ideas, beliefs, and musings into poetic paragraphs. These days, when he's singing one of his tunes, he drops into spoken word mode if he thinks it's the best way for a lyric to be rendered - call him a momentary MC. Buck 65 and The Streets do something similar, but Kearney's approach stands out because of the fluid way it moves between Jack Johnson ease and Damien Rice intensity. His NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE is pure pop, with catchy choruses strengthening the emotional impact of his songs. A couple of those tunes have helped bolster the atmosphere of both "One Tree Hill" and "Gray's Anatomy." It's because Kearney, a Nashville resident and native of the Northwest, who believes most of his tunes are lined with optimism, is skilled at creating a glowing, bittersweet vibe. He sings about life's big questions as much as he does about the wrinkles of romance. No wonder a few critics hear him as the lost member of Coldplay.ĞLess