“Nothing Left to Lose” by May Kearney, Friday, August 23, 2024
In 2001, Mat Kearney and his friend Robert Marvin arrived in Nashville, Tennessee. Since college, Kearney wanted to pursue a musical career as a singer-songwriter. Marvin’s dream was to become a music producer and Nashville was the place to be. Kearney and Marvin had worked on music before they arrived in Nashville. Marvin got right to work in the Christian music industry, producing and working on albums by ZOEgirl, Stacie Orrico, TobyMac, and Newsboys. In 2004, Kearney released his debut album Bullet on the Christian label Inpop Records. Several of the songs on Bullet were reworkings of Kearney’s hip-hop EP West in November, which he had released independently in 2003. The co-writing team of Kearney and Marvin and Marvin’s production introduced Christian music to the genre-bending artistry of Mat Kearney.
I CAN STILL SMELL THE POMEGRANATES GROW. Today, Bullet is not available on streaming services. Mat Kearney was a success with Christian Hit Radio and Christian Rock Radio. His coffee shop acoustic guitar music with his spoken word, and hip-hop lyrical delivery paved the way for Jason Mraz and Ed Sheeran who popularized the style later in the ‘00s and ‘10s. Kearney’s success wouldn’t be confined to CCM. Reworking some of his tracks from Bullet, Kearney released his sophomore record Nothing Left to Lose, but rather than releasing it on a small Christian label, he released it on Columbia Records. The album featured several Billboard Hot 100 singles, including the title track, today’s song, which peaked at #41. Many of the songs from the album were also featured in television shows, including Grey’s Anatomy, a show that popularized many artists. Solidifying Kearney’s popularity, though, was strategic touring. Opening for John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, and Train aligned Kearney with the adult alternative singer-songwriter sound. Kearney successfully created an edgier Nashville sound and then became closer to the styles in Nashville, as subsequent releases started to feature less hip-hop influence.
TO A KID FROM OREGON BY WAY OF CALIFORNIA. Mat Kearney was raised in Eugene, Oregon, but attended the California State University, Chico, majoring in literature. Many of Kearney’s songs tell stories, including the title track from his major label debut, Nothing Left to Lose. The song was newly penned and the first single for Kearney’s new career. “Nothing Left to Lose” tells the story of when Mat “packed [his] bags and headed East.” The song recalls the moments of struggle and joy with sensory details, such as smelling the pomegranates and hearing the trains in Nashville. While often associated with Christian music, few of Kearney’s lyrics are overtly religious. Nothing Left to Lose has a few ambiguous second-person pronouns, including the title track. Is it God, friendship, or a romantic interest? The lyrics of the album are youthful in their optimism and the mood is heightened by expert instrumentation. Kearney in his late 20s when his musical career came to full fruition sings songs about when times were uncertain. It’s not a very interesting story, but the poetry of the lyrics is engaging, and it's ultimately a relatable story. While Kearney didn’t have a big radio career, he has carved out a success story with devoted listeners. That’s Mat’s story, what are our excuses?
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