Release Date: (April 18, 2006)
Label: Columbia
Producer: Robert Marvin and Mat Kearney

December  Hotel 
Overall Rating:  +++-  

(Girl America)

If any of you were lucky enough to catch Mat's debut "Bullet" then
you, like myself have been eagerly awaiting his follow up. His
acoustic hip hop guitar style and deeply personal lyrics reveal
a level of honesty that is so hard to find in today's music scene.

The folksy "What's a Boy to Do" puts Mat's great story telling on
display. It's about a boy and the lack of a father figure in his
life. One of the many highlights on the disc. The title track
"Nothing Left to Lose" sounds like a retread off of "Bullet". Don't
get me wrong it's still a great song. It has even managed to get
some radio play in some markets. Well, as it turns out,
"Nothing Left to Lose," while still a very good disc, is a
disappointment in that it marks Mat retracing his steps. 6 of the
13 songs on the disc were on his last effort. The worst part about
it, is that those songs really make you notice how much better
the songs from his last disc are, compared to these ones.

Mat Kearney fans will most likely find that "Nothing Left to Lose"
fails to break any new ground for both the artist and pop music.
For all of Mat’s effort "Nothing Left to Lose" does not yield new
results. But it still makes for a pleasant listen.

Mat’s intended statement would have carried more weight if he would
have recorded an album of all new material. Well I guess I should
quit harping on that. And just take it for what it is, a simple
mellow hip-hop folk textured rock album. Which doesn't have one
song worth skipping over. Here's to hoping Mat can navigate a path
through the world of commercial pop music. Do yourself a favor and
pick up one of his albums. And catch him in concert. He is even
better in a live environment.

~ Anthony P. Hanna