In 2007, a song called “Nothing Left to Lose” hit the Christian radio airwaves, the artist being newcomer Mat Kearny. I was hooked on the song and as his popularity grew, I enjoyed his radio singles that followed. Now Kearny returns with a collection of 10 songs, most of which were inspired by the conversations with passengers in his taxi cab, as he became a licensed driver. The album goes by the title Young Love.  

                The album opens with the extremely catchy first single “Hey Mama,” which Mat wrote about the first time he met his wife, Annie, whom he married in 2010. The extremely catchy drum beat and clapping match with Mat’s stellar voice, and his vocal abilities are showcased very well throughout the album. “Ships In The Night” seems to be about Mat and his wife trying to figure out how marriage is supposed to work. The song features a pounding drum beat and Mat’s unique style of rapping. “Count On Me” showcases Mat’s keen sense of vocal rhythm, along with a nice touch of kid vocals. This song makes a strong commitment to a girl to be there for her. “Sooner or Later” promises a girl they’ll make it through a tough spot. The song showcases Mat’s nice high vocals on the chorus.

                “Chasing The Light” encourages a fellow believer to keep pursuing God, and this song also includes Mat’s rapping. “Learning To Love Again” is a slower ballad about healing broken friendships, this one seeming to be with a good friend or brother. “Down” was my favorite track on the album, because of Mat’s vocals on the track. This one is the most spiritual of the songs on the album, and encourages two broken people that God will forgive them even when they’re at their lowest.

                “She Got The Honey” is a song lyrically and almost musically similar to “Hey Mama,” celebrating the joy of love. “Young Dumb and In Love” also is in this vein, and it was nice to have an electric guitar in the song on top of the pop beats. The album closes with “Rochester,” an emotional song in which Mat and his guitar carry along the story of his father who ran an illegal cigar shop, got arrested for drug possession, and came back from prison trying to start over and make things right. The song deals with the story of the father as well as Mat’s own personal feelings. This is the perfect album closer

                Overall, I was blown away by this album. The pop beats and vocals make a really enjoyable listen. While not a lot of spiritual content, this is a great album to listen to when you feel down, as most of the tracks are very feel-good. If you know a Christian who’s looking for pop music without messed up lyrics, point them to Young Love by Mat Kearny, you won’t regret it.

 

Rating: **********10/10

 

Top 3 Songs:

 

1.       Down

2.       Hey Mama

3.       Ships In The Night

 

Feel free to comment on this review so I can make them the best they can be!!

 

God Bless!

-dreamingoutloud