Hey, Mama! Have you heard of Mat Kearney?

I am really enjoying the opportunity to explore new music these days, in return for my honest opinion and review. My latest "listen" was from Mat Kearney, a "new-to-me" artist who has actually been around the block a couple of times already. :) Thanks to  One2One Network for sending me a  free downloaded version of his latest album "Young Love." Apparently I've had my head in the sand regarding this particular fellow, as his music has been featured on many television shows and he has toured with artists like Sheryl Crow. Yup... head in the sand. Did I mention that I homeschool and have three kids??? Maybe that explains it... ;)

So, what did I think about this album? Much of the music is fun and upbeat, including the "hand-clapping, dancing-around" track "Hey Mama,"  which you can hear if you click on that boombox Mat Kearney is carrying in the above graphic(you can also hear it on his website, and on his facebook page). Reading a note on his facebook page I discovered that he wrote this song right after meeting the woman who became his wife! Fun stuff! (I remember how it felt to be young and in love with my future husband! (yes, butterflies)

This could be another one of those "soundtracks of life" that I have mentioned before~ an album with a certain "Feel" that gets played repeatedly and therefore becomes associated with a particular time and/or place in life. The vast majority of the tunes have a fun "Groove",  interspersed with some slightly more contemplative songs.

"Young Love" (And particularly the "Hey Mama" track) has my whole family up and dancing around~ it's the kind of music that moves your feet! :) One disadvantage to getting music downloads vs the hard copies... no liner notes~ :(  I like to have the liner notes and the lyrics right in front of me, to get a better feel for the "content". Sometimes I want to actually read what I'm hearing and singing, so that I can determine if how I feel about each song connects with what the songs are really about. I caught one lyric in "Hey Mama" that I wish had been changed, just because I felt that "Golden thighs" might not be the purest visual, even in an album that sings to the butterflies and goosebumps of "young love". However, that hasn't affected how I feel about the overall song~ It's catchy! :D

You can check out previews of songs from the entire album on itunes, and if you like what you hear, you may be interested in the fact that Mat Kearney is going on tour this month, with shows booked in the middle and eastern states~

Mat is hitting the road in September playing nearly 40 shows in US & Canada.  Tickets on sale now.

9/14          Jacksonville, FL       Murray Hill           
9/16          Charleston, SC         Music Farm           
9/17          Athens, GA               GA Theater           
9/18          Carrboro, NC            Cat's Cradle            
9/20          Charlottesville, VA   Jefferson Theater           
9/23          Louisville, KY           Headliners           
9/24          Cincinnati, OH          Bogart's           
9/25          Cleveland, OH          House of Blues         
9/27           Interlochen, MI        Corson Aud           
9/29           Urbana, IL                Canopy Club           
9/30           Milwaukee, WI         Turner Hall           
10/1           Des Moines, IA        People's Court          
10/2           Omaha, NE              Sokol Auditorium           
10/4           Bloomington, IN      Bluebird           
10/5           St Louis, MO           The Pageant           
10/7           Oxford, MS              The Lyric        
10/8           Pine Mountain, GA   Callaway Gardens          
10/9           Birmingham, AL      Workplay Theatre
10/20         Nashville, TN            Cannery           
10/23         Washington, DC       9:30 Club           
10/24         Baltimore, MD           Ram's Head           
10/25         Lancaster, PA            Chameleon           
10/27         Allentown, PA           Crocodile Rock         

10/28         New York, NY            Webster Hall           
10/29         Philadelphia, PA       Theater of LIving Arts   
10/30         Albany, NY                 Northern Lights       

11/1           Northampton, MA      Pearl Street 
11/2           New Haven, CT          Toad's Place            

11/4           Boston, MA                House of Blues        
11/5           Portland, ME              State Theatre   
11/6           Burlington, VT            Higher Ground           
11/8           Montreal, QC              Petite Campus
11/9           Toronto, ON                Opera House           
11/11         Buffalo, NY                 Town Ballroom           
11/12         Pittsburgh, PA            Rex Theater           
11/13         Detroit, MI                   St. Andrews           
11/15         Columbus, OH            Newport Music Hall 
11/17         Chicago, IL                 House of Blues         
11/19         Madison, WI               The Majestic
11/20         Minneapolis, MN       First Avenue

Blessings~