Customer Reviews

Beneath These Fireworks

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Matt has been on the scene for a while, making records since 1993. *Beneath These Fireworks* is Matt's first major-label release, and it is excellent. There is not a weak song on this album.

*Beneath These Fireworks* gathers a few songs from his earlier independent releases and adds seven songs' worth of never-before-released material. The songs on this release are diverse and the sound is rich. I particularly like "Sad Songs" from his new material. Matt has a great voice and his talent is noticeable in every song on this release.

Those who enjoy music by Howie Day, John Mayer, Jason Mraz, Dave Matthews Band, and David Gray likely will enjoy Matt's music. If he plays a show near you, go see it. Not only is he an extremely talented singer-songwriter, but he is an extremely funny person. Go for good music, a good deal of laughing, and at least one good belly laugh. :-)

I stumbled upon a live show of his a little over a year ago and was completely captivated by his performance. He was one of the funniest people I've ever seen and you just instantly wanted to be friends with this guy. When I listened to the CD's I bought at the show, I really liked them but they didn't quite capture the power that he brings to the stage. You have to see him live to truly appreciate him, but once you do you'll quickly fall in love with the CD's. Each time I see him I come away with a new favorite song. With this new CD he re-records a lot of great old songs and adds some real gems to the pack. His new producer and great cast of guests (Emm Gryner and Glen Phillips) really add a great touch and I think he shines through better than he has before. It's still not as great as his live shows which will leave you laughing hysterically (watch for Prince cover of Starfish and Coffee!), but I really enjoy this new disc. I highly recommend anything by Matt, but this is a great one for those just learning who this incredible guy is.

I have to say, Matt Nathanson is an amazing artist, almost magical. I find myself listening to this CD over and over again, humming the songs throughout the day. I first hear Matt on Yahoo's LaunchCast radio, where a user enters a few artists they enjoy, rates songs, and so on, and Yahoo makes music reccomendations for you. I have to say, Matt was definitely a good reccomendation. I love his voice insanley, and his lyrics are so sweet and heartfelt, and I find I can relate bits and pieces of each song to some emotion that I'm feeling at the time.Matt plays most of his songs on a 12-string guitar, something not very common among a lot of artists today. I find it impossible to choose favorites when speaking of this album, because I'm in love with so many parts of each of his songs. The tracks "Suspended", "I Saw", "Pretty The World", and "Curve Of The Earth" are stuck in my head the most, but that doesn't mean the remaining songs are lacking at all. I've heard many, many times that Matt is so much better live than from a studio, which frightens me (in a good way) because his studio album has kept me happy for so long. I'm desperate to see him live, now.Please, don't pass this album up. Matt has been recording his own albums since college and isn't very well known, and he certainly deserves to be, considering how much crap there is in the mainstream radio. I think the music world deserves a little bit more Matt Nathanson. :-)

I don't really think the sound clips do justice to this album, nor the album to the artist -- which is not to say the album's a dud by any means. On the contrary, it contains some of Matt's finest work, albeit with a heavy layer of studio production that sometimes detracts from the songs, especially if you've never heard the stripped-down acoustic versions before (particularly the case for I Saw and Lucky Boy).

Give a listen to Suspended, Sad Songs, and Little Victories, then dig up some of his live stuff, which is not hard to find (legally) on the internet. Matt's at his best when he's on stage.

About the inevitable John Mayer comparisons: yes, they're both Guys With Guitars. John Mayer does the smooth bluesy jazzy thing, Matt's more of an average-Joe type, sings what he feels, mostly good-natured with a healthy cynical streak. The fact that Matt was finally signed by a major label in the wake of John Mayer's success was probably no coincidence, but that doesn't mean that either of them aren't talented artists in their own right.

If you're tired of the "products" on today's music scene like Britney, Mariah, and Jessica and want something deeper and more substantial, then pick up Matt Nathanson's latest CD. He's quite possibly the most brilliant artist you don't know about and shouldn't miss! I bought this CD when I purchased Glen Phillip's LIVE AT LARGO just because I heard three sound clips and now I cannot get this CD oout of my car! Nathanson knows how to create a lovely and haunting pop melody and throws in some captivating lyrics. "The Curve of the Earth" is perhaps a masterpiece of modern music and it's a melody that will stay in your head long after you hear it! There are very few new artists that genuinely reach beyond the multimillion dollar packaging to truly connect with a listener, but Nathanson's one of those who can do it, and so you should click NOW and buy this amazing effort! And for that matter, just go ahead and buy three to five copies like I did because you'll want to share this CD with someone so that you're not the only one who knows about this guy!

pros: awesome music and vocals, plain and simple. there is a soft harmony to this album. the cd ranges between tracks that are soft acoustic music with strong vocals and strong music with even stronger vocals. in each song, the strength and style of the music matches the voice of matt nathanson, which is clear, strong, and well-spoken. wonderful lyrics.

cons: the cd length is 40 minutes and 14 seconds, which is a bit short for the price and THE ONLY reason this cd loses a star.

if you've got the money for the cd and don't mind that it is a little short, i would strongly recommend it. i purchased this album on my friend's recommendation, and i definitely am happy i listened to her.

I had never heard of Matt Nathanson until I cliked on one of Amazon's links for him. I was looking for Howie Day CD's and according to Amazon, if I like Howie Day, I will like Matt Nathanson. Again, I had never heard of him, but I had been buying a lot of stuff, so what was on more CD.
This was the best purchase of the night. Seriously.
I read these reviews a lot, and they are normally written by groupies. I had never heard this guy and he is great.
So great in fact, I still can't get it back from my friend. If you are looking for some good music, this CD is worth the buy. Can't comment on any of his other work, but take a chance on this one. You won't regret it.

For anyone comparing Matt to John Mayer, they obviously have a limited ear for music. The two styles are VERY different. I challenge anyone who rated this CD with one star to see Matt in concert and NOT be amazed by his talent. Few artists can play a 12 string like Matt, few can put the amount of soul into their music, few can write lyrics like him, and few can mock themselves and "rock" in general while doing it. Matt is a true performer - he is NOT a studio wannabe and as one reviewer pointed out - he's been making music for years. This just happens to be his first studio release, but those of us with taste for the underground and non-streamlined studio music have been enjoying his last four CDs for years. Any reference to Britney-esque turnouts is ignorant and inept. Is Matt cutting edge and shocking? Maybe not. But true talent doesn't have to be.

This CD has a number of great pop tracks, but I find some of his slower stuff less inspiring and routinely skip them for the 4 or so tracks I actually dig on. Not as solid an effort as I was expecting, but the tracks that are good are VERY good.

Great album! Matt has a great voice and i would recommend this album to others that like artist's such as howie day, gavin degraw and josh kelley. Really worth the money! Favourites include 'sad song', 'Bent' and 'Pretty the world" however they are all great songs and i never find myself skipping to the next song like you do with other cds! His music doesn't get radio play in New Zealand but it totally should! Go Matt!