Two weeks ago, the residents of Brunswick H put down their Thursday night glasses of Carlo Rossi and watched with bated breath as Izzie Stevens finally picked herself off the bathroom floor. What caught their attention, perhaps even more than the Emmy-worthy performances of Katherine Heigl and Ellen Pompeo in the episode's final minutes, was the music playing behind the drama onscreen.
Renowed for its soundtrack, "Grey's Anatomy" has clued its viewers into hip, lesser-known artists such as Joe Purdy, Tegan and Sara, and Psapp. The end of this season's premiere introduced the show's legions of fans to "All I Need" from Mat Kearney's latest album "Nothing Left To Lose," the newest CD in rotation in the H sound system.
"Nothing Left to Lose" is Kearney's second album since 2004, and its fusion of folk, hip-hop, and acoustic rock has slowly been earning him media attention since its release in April.
His music, exploring themes of love, loss, and change, is sincere and personal. The album's title track exemplifies his honest, hopeful lyrics: "Something's in the air tonight/The sky's alive with a burning light/You can mark my words something's about to break/And I found myself in a bitter fight/While I've held your hand through the darkest night/Don't know where you're coming from but you're coming soon/To a kid from Oregon by way of California/All of this is more than I've ever known or seen."
Kearney's inspiring lyrics hearken back vaguely to his past as a Christian rocker, which he became when he relocated to Nashville after college. Combined with his unique style, the lyrics produce a refreshing sound that can be likened to everything from Coldplay to U2 to the Counting Crows to Snow Patrol to an early John Mayer.
A creative edge shines on songs such as "Undeniable," "Girl America," and "In the Middle," as Kearney mixes acoustic guitar, piano, and spoken lyrics in the same vein as The Streets' "Dry Your Eyes."
"All I Need" and "Nothing Left to Lose" provide the inspirational Patrick Dempsey operating-room-scene-worthy power ballads sung in a voice eerily similar to that of Coldplay's Chris Martin.
In a recent interview about the album, Kearney said, "My artistic goal was to write something that's 100 percent real and true to me and to this world. I tried to touch on truths that really connect with people from every avenue of life. Ultimately, when you write from a vantage point of faith, humility and openness to the world around you, people have to respond because those same truths are instilled in them. Honestly, I don't have any agenda other than being sincere, real, and passionate about these songs and the music I make."
Kearney achieves just that with this album. His lyrics are believable, and his harmonies are catchy without losing their indie edge. "Nothing Left to Lose" is a multifaceted, mellow, and authentic mix of songs that is sure to catch the attention of a wide audience.