RIYL: John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Maroon 5
Thanks to the success of guys like John Mayer, a new crop of “sensitive” singer-songwriters has flourished in the music world. The dawn of the 21st century brought along the resurgence of musical guys with “feelings,” and Matt White is one of the latest artists to attempt to stake his claim in that crowded scene. In a perfect blend of an old archetype with new-school technology, White (who uses piano as his primary instrument but also plays guitar) was discovered by record execs after amassing over 50,000 friends and fans on MySpace.
It’s the Good Crazy, White’s second full-length album, is exactly what you’d expect a modern-day singer-songwriter album to be. Many songs on the album turn out to be reminiscent of songs or artists that have been omnipresent on Adult Top 40 radio these last few years. You hear echoes of Coldplay (right down to the falsetto) on the spare piano ballad “When I Fall,” a sound White might want to explore further, as it’s the best track on the album. The funky “On My Wall” conjures up Adam Levine’s many Prince impressions, and “Colorblind” (at least instrumentally) is reminiscent of Mayer’s “Your Body is a Wonderland.” They’re all pleasant enough, but the fact that they recall other artists makes one wonder if White will be able to carve out his own niche – it’s the only thing that’s going to make him stand out amongst the legions of young male songwriters.
I definitely dig the guy’s voice. While his normal range is relatively anonymous, White has a soaring falsetto that impresses even though he occasionally veers into screechy territory. Lyrically, there’s definitely a sense that he suffers from that borderline annoying smart-assery that plagues guys like Jason Mraz. Ultimately, It’s the Good Crazy turns out to be fairly standard singer-songwriter fare, but there’s enough promise shown to suggest that a really good album might be within his reach. (Rykodisc 2010)
