Reviewed by Neil Fix

Mat Kearney has of course enjoyed mainstream pop success Stateside and this latest set, his first for two years, is a welcome return to the CD racks. Matt is a very talented singer/songwriter who writes songs that cross several genres. It would probably be fair to say that they mostly have a pop rock base, particularly the drums, which a friend described as tribal; but there is a lot more than that in them. Apparently his favourite musicians growing up were A Tribe Called Quest and Bob Dylan, and one can detect slight influences of both. The opening track "Hey Mama", one of the singles from the project, made me think of 'Graceland' era Paul Simon and Paul's vocal timbre also shows through on "Sooner Or Later" and "Learning To Love Again". Some other cuts have an R&B or gospel tinge and one or two songs a slight alt country feel to them, occasionally reminding me of Collective Soul. My favourite track on here is probably "She's Got The Honey", which is all over the place musically and all round brilliant.

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Dove Award Winner, Mat Kearney, returns with his fourth studio album Young Love; revisiting the heavy grooves, spoken word, and singable choruses fans came to love from sophomore-release, Nothing Left To Lose.

After becoming a licensed cab driver in hometown Nashville, Tennessee, Kearney found lyrical inspiration for Young Love through the conversations he had with passengers. Young Love was recorded in Nashville with Kearney’s long time producers Robert Marvin, and Jason Lehning.