Christian Review Magazine Issue 3 - March 2015 | Page 52

MUSIC
REVIEW

Mat’s music has been featured in
many television shows and movies

M
Artist:

MAT KEARNEY
Album:

at Kearney is a pop-rock/CCM
artist with a defining halfspoken, half-sung vocal style,
and a penchant for crafting great tunes
mixed with relevant, relatable, and at
times, whimsical lyrics. With four years
between this release and his last (Young
Love [2011]), JUST KIDS is Kearney’s fifth
studio album.

JUST KIDS
Rating:

Genre:

Pop, Singer Songwriter,
Rock
For Fans Of:

Jack Johnson, Coldplay
Label:

Republic Records
Reviewed by:

Leah St John
Release Date:

Out Now

52 > CHRISTIAN REVIEW MAGAZINE

A fairly unique artist, Mat Kearney has
always seemed to exist in a place that lies
somewhere between singer-songwriter and
pop. And he continues this tradition with
JUST KIDS, an album that contains a variety
of songs, some which lean more towards
singer-songwriter sensibilities, whilst
others which exhibit more of a poporiented vibe.
JUST KIDS opens with “Heartbreak
Dreamer”, a brilliantly composed track that
closes with a spoken-word rendition of part
of Anis Mojgani’s poem “Shake The Dust,”
a beautiful piece of writing which serves as
encouragement for the overlooked, the
underdogs, and the outcasts. And as JUST
KIDS progresses, it follows in the footsteps

of this track, pairing great music with
poignant, meaningful, and reflective lyrics.
In fact, this album is pretty intimate in
nature, with Kearney singing about and
reflecting on certain aspects of his personal
history. One of my favorite tracks on JUST
KIDS is “Los Angeles”, on which he sings
about the early days of his music career.
A collection of noteworthy tunes, JUST
KIDS deftly combines an upbeat pop
ambiance with singer-songwriter
sensibilities, and other genres - including
folk, hip-hop, and even 80’s pop. As well, a
variety of musical elements making
appearances throughout. Needless to say,
JUST KIDS is a pretty creative album, and I
would expect nothing else from Mat
Kearney, who always manages to maintain
an edge of originality within his music.
With JUST KIDS, Mat Kearney has crafted a
great album which makes for an enjoyable
listen. It’s also great to see (and hear) how
he audibly continues to mature and grow in
his musical abilities and talents.