Matt White – Best Days / 2007 Geffen / 11 Tracks / http://www.mattwhitemusic.com / http://www.geffen.com /
Matt White is one of the few artists that we have reviewed that does not have anything in the way of a Wikipedia. This is odd, considering that the vast majority of individuals that have achieved prominence in music have one. This is not to say that White isn’t famous; a quick perusal of eir Myspace brings up a link that allows individuals to vote for eir on VH1’s Top 20 Countdown. Being an “AOL Breakerâ€, and having “Best Days†produced by individuals that are no less famous than those individuals that have buffed out and made Bruce Springsteen, John Mayer, and Mary J. Blige in the last few decades, it seems like White is on the verge of breaking it big and staying big in the years to come.
The disc’s biggest track to this point is the title cut; the sweet sounds of White’s vocals are bolstered ever so slightly by the light amount of instrumentation that is present, which consist of little more than White’s guitar and a simple drum beat. It is in White’s vocals that most of the harmony is contained; by making White work during this track, “Best Days†endears itself to anyone that may be listening in. The result is a track that could easily make it onto the ending credits of any CW show, and is already present on pretty much any rock radio station. Other tracks on “Best Daysâ€, such as “Playâ€, continue much of the same strong vocal harmonies and interesting instrumental sections. Where there is a more plodding tempo present to “Playâ€, White’s vocals come forth and easily dominate and bind together the disparate instrumental sections of the track. It is also during “Play†that White assumes a little of the vocal style that is present during Maroon 5 songs.
“Love†continues these interesting tracks, and despite having a plodding style that is somewhat similar to Feist’s on “1234â€, White is able to take eir own distinct tack. This is the story of the entirety of “Best Daysâ€. All of the tracks here have some sort of familiarity when taken in the larger context of popular music, but White is able to distinguish eirself because each of these tracks tweak something present in popular music enough to make White’s songs sound that much different. Give the disc a go if you want smooth, soulful-sounding pop rock music that will maintain its freshness.
Top Tracks: Love, Best Days
Rating: 6.5/10