A sophomore record is always the test for aspiring musicians and artists. In most cases, years are poured into the making of the first album. Song lyrics are raw, original, and natural. The music is fairly well produced. The artist makes their presence known.
Maintaining that fresh spirit can be difficult to carry on to the next album. Most artists play it safe, sticking to their crafted sound while others take wild risks, which either destroy their career or expand it exponentially.
While City of Black and White is singer-songwriter Mat Kearney’s third outing, it is a proper follow-up to the previous two records.
Mat Kearney Is Back After A Couple Years
His debut disc, Bullet, was a sound collage of rap, urban hip-hop and rhythm and blues crossed with a barren, acoustic guitar. The songs were candid confessions; each one expressing a distinctive emotion or personal tale. He was casting the musical mold he would cling to on his next record, Nothing Left To Lose (2006).
Mixing the old with the new, he branched out into more pop-friendly territory with songs like 'Nothing Left To Lose' and 'Where Do We Go From Here' while keeping the urban beats and swift rhymes.
Nothing Left To Lose was a commercially successful album, reaching high into the charts and many of his songs were featured prominently on several television shows that year such as Grey’s Anatomy and Scrubs.
Looking Back At Previous Albums
So where did he go from here? Well, after a two and half year period, the Nashville artist emerged with City of Black and White, a clear departure from its predecessors. Gone from this album are the intermittent rap soliloquies. Missing, is the lyrical innovation that accompanied his previous records.
Attempting Something Different On New Record
However, the new sound is extraordinary. While it is more 'mainstream' than his last record, it still has the same appeal. It is clearly evident he has progressed on his own terms. His voice is more confident; his lyrics relaxed.
There is more electric guitar, intricate drumbeats and a lot more intimate piano moments. Kearney plays these elements to their full strength.
The pain he wrestled with on Nothing Left To Lose is not as apparent here. Kearney seems to have moved on with his life and his music. And all of these elements combine for a grand third album.
City of Black and White is a solid piece of new sonic ground from an already engaging artist who continues to defy people's expectations.
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