“On this record, I was trying to incorporate a lot of the ’90s music that I was influenced by — some new jack swing, R&B stuff and hip-hop samples,” explained singer/songwriter Mat Kearney regarding the creation of his latest album, Crazytalk. “Face to Face,” the second track on the album, is a delightful example of swirling genres — acoustic guitar mingles with synth beats, percussion, and Kearney’s warm vocals to produce a song that is sonically lovely and infectiously toe-tapping.
Kearney became a household name in 2007 when his song “Nothing Left to Lose,” from his sophomore album of the same name, was certified gold. Since then his music has been featured in TV shows (30 Rock, Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, The Vampire Diaries, to name a few), he has shared the stage with established artists such as John Mayer, Train, and Sheryl Crow, and he recorded four albums including Crazytalk. I recently spoke over the phone with Kearney, who lives in Nashville with his wife and daughter.
What made this album different from previous ones? I'm a pretty avid music listener. … I'm always influenced by new stuff, and drawing from the past, music from when I was growing up. Every time I make a record, the goal is to break the mold that you built on the record before. …Usually if I did one thing on one record, I tend to somewhat be the other extreme on the next one. It could maybe be jarring for fans, but I like that you don't know exactly what you're going to get every time I make a record.