Release Date: September 14th, 2010
Reviewed by Evelyn Miska Krieger
Matt White has been around for a surprisingly long time. Although most people won’t know it, his songs have been featured in shows such as The Hills, One Tree Hill and Laguna Beach as well as movies such as She’s The One and Shrek the Third. His music is generally low-key and might remind listeners a bit of artists such as David Gray. The tracks on It’s The Good Crazy range from upbeat, pop-oriented songs to much slower and moodier tracks. While White may not be on the general radar, he should be since his songs are well written, well performed and his latest album is a solid collection of strong and interesting songs.
“And The Beat Goes On” opens the album and is one of those aforementioned upbeat tracks. It has a little bit of a Dexy’s Midnight Runners feel going on and often White’s vocals range into falsetto territory, but somehow he’s able to pull it all of and leave listeners with a soulful track. “Falling in Love (With My Best Friend)”slows things down a little bit but maintains that same soulful approach as found on the first song. The slide guitar between chorus and verse adds a nice touch and a little something different.
“When I Fall” is one of the prettiest songs on the album and is reminiscent of Billy Joel in the mid 1990s. The song is much slower than the rest on the album and focuses primarily on vocals and a beautiful piano melody which allows White to really show what he is capable of. “Honeymoon Phase” takes yet another approach and has almost a Paul Simon sound to it. It seems a slightly jarring change after the ease of “When I Fall” but it’s difficult to deny White’s natural talent on a track like this. “Teacher Teacher” has a far more gritty feel than any of the other tracks and brings in some blues and country influence which is a nice change from the rest of the album. That isn’t to say there’s anything wrong with the tracks thus far, but the sound adds a nice mix to the overall feel of the album and is a nice standout among the rest.
White’s second full length album is a successful collection of tracks. While it isn’t the most outgoing of records, it has a quiet confidence that is easy to see and understand after listening to the album in its entirety. White may not have become a household name just yet, but if his career continues on it’s current path, it just may happen yet.
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