Customer Reviews

Some Mad Hope

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

For those of you who don't know who Matt Nathanson is, you're not alone, but in all honesty, you should be. Perhaps one of the most underrated singer/songwriters of his time, Nathanson has built up his fan base in a grass roots manner with amazing live shows and extremely powerful music. If the only song you know from him is his cover of James' hit "Laid" from the American Wedding soundtrack, consider yourself Matt deprived. His previous effort, and major label debut "Beneath These Fireworks," released in 2003, has an amazing array of beautifully done tunes, showcasing Nathanson's maturation both vocally and lyrically. With "Some Made Hope," Nathanson sets the bar even higher with songs ranging from searing emotional ballads to stadium rockers. The album plays out as such.

1. Car Crash- 9/10
The first single released and a great way to start the album. This uptempo rock song will have you singing along to the catchy chorus in no time.

2. Come on Get Higher- 10/10
One of the best songs on the album. Beautifully written. Amazon speaks of cheesy lines in his music review, I couldn't disagree more. Here's an excerpt from this song.

"I miss the sound of your voice, I miss the rush of your skin,
And I miss the still of the silence, As you breathe out and I breathe in."

3. Heartbreak World- 7/10
A solid midtempo song, backed mostly by piano and acoustic guitar.

4. Gone- 8/10
A wonderful midtempo ballad, great lyrics, Nathanson shines vocally on this tune.

5. Wedding Dress- 10/10
Another midtempo ballad that may just be the best song on the album. As Nathanson battles with his own doubts about his forthcoming marriage, you can feel the emotion in his voice pouring out.

"In your wedding dress, to have and to hold,
Even at my best, I want to let go."

6. Bulletproof Weeks- 10/10
A beautiful stripped down ballad about a relationship that was thought to be so strong that nothing could ever harm it, but in the end, it did not last, leaving Nathanson to ask "So what happened to bulletproof weeks in your arms?" An amazing song that I'm sure anyone who has been in a relationship that they never thought would end but did can relate to.

7. To The Beat of Our Noisy Hearts- 7/10
Nathanson picks up the pace on this solid uptempo track showing off his rock n roll side.

8. Still- 8/10
A catchy midtempo tune with solid backing vocals.

9. Detroit Waves- 8/10
An uptempo rocking song. Matt really lets it rip on this track.

10. Falling Apart- 8/10
A solid piano driven midtempo song with a catchy chorus and great verses to go along with it.

11. Sooner Surrender- 7/10
A sweet ballad with a nice tempo.

12. All We Are- 8/10
A reflective song to close the album. This is a solid tune, with some great lyrics within it.

With "Some Mad Hope," Matt Nathanson furthers his quest to become one of the greatest singer/songwriters of his time. Whether he will ever be held in such regard is unknown, but if it was up to this reviewer, he would be near the top of the list. If you haven't seen his live show, do yourself a favor and go. Not only are his songs amazing, but Nathanson is also one of the most sincere and humorous acts touring today. He'll have you laughing and crying, and I guarantee you by the end of his set, you will have the utmost respect for this gifted musician. Matt Nathanson may not be a household name, but he should be.

I had heard most of these songs from his concert and bootlegs, but unlike his last ...Fireworks CD these tracks are just as good as their live versions.

Make no mistake though, it's not because they sound the same. They sound totally different. A Matt show has all the great acoustic comforts of an intimate coffee shop, personal musical outpouring, accompanied with great crowd rapport and overall fun. This CD captures the essence of what makes those Matt live songs so great, takes it, refines it, shines it and purifies it, bottling it up in a nice package for us to consume at home, all without the loss of any of the elements that make his live songs so great. And the additives, while noticed, go well with the traditional raw Matt Nathanson flavor we've all come to to know, love and even get addicted to.

If you love acoustic coffee shop style heartfelt music, then you will love this CD. When you go to the concert and hear the songs live later on you will enjoy them even more.

I am thrilled that the production version came out so well.

While amazing live, Matt Nathanson's studio albums have lacked the passion that he puts into his live shows. His major label debut, Beneath These Fireworks, was a good try but every time I listen to it, I feel like there's something missing. In Some Mad Hope, he comes the closest to capturing the passion that has fans flocking to his live shows.

The album isn't nearly as bad as Amazon.com's Don McLeese makes it out to be. Don't let this misinformed review deter you from checking out the album yourself. 'Wedding Dress' is not "aspiring to become a first-dance standard." It's a song about divorce. Anyone who picks it for a first dance is completely misguided.

The lyrics to the chorus of 'All We Are' are not "and every day's a star/something beautiful." It's "every day's the start of something beautiful." Still cheesy? Contestable. But for me, the lyrics "Went broke believing that the simple should be hard" make up for the chorus. With Nathanson's songwriting, for every possibly cheesy lyric there is an equally cool one (ie. "You know I'll still say your name to fall asleep/Over and over/A cynic saying rosary/A liar living make believe" - 'Detroit Waves').

The lyrics from 'Bulletproof Weeks' are not "What happened to feeling cheap radio songs?" either. I'm not saying that I know more than McLeese, but his review could really have used some simple double checking. http://www.prettytheworld.com/index.php?m=music&c=lyrics would have fixed these mistakes right away.

The album does have weak moments ('Come On Get Higher' doesn't quite get to the level it promises to) but there are a lot of good things about it. It's a big step forward for Nathanson - though, in order to really get an understanding of him, it's necessary to see him live.

My favorite tracks: 'Heartbreak World,' 'Still,' 'Falling Apart'

It shows that Matt took a while to write and develop this album. The finished product is amazingly smooth, emotional, and whole. There's a range of sound, from his approach to doing a song in styling of one of his greater influences, to the simple yet beautiful acoustic guitar along to which Matt sings sweetly and convincingly. If you're a Matt Nathanson fan, then you probably already know this is a "must have" to add to your collection. If you're new to Matt Nathanson, this is a great introduction, which will make you want to hear all of his other amazing albums.

In the interest of full disclosure, I admit to being a die-hard Matt Nathanson fan who anxiously awaited the release of this album after wearing out "Beneath these Fireworks." Having heard many drafts of songs that appear on "Some Mad Hope" while they were being conceived, my anticipation was somewhat tempered- I didn't really fall in love with any of the songs instantly. When I heard the album for the first time, my anxieties were dispelled. If anyone has any doubt regarding Nathanson's talent as a singer or a songwriter, I urge you to listen to the album cut of "Bulletproof Weeks." Perhaps for those cynics out there, Matt Nathanson's songs are too far out of touch. Yet to this listener, this album, which recalls the hope and heartbreak of growing up and falling in and out of love, hits just the right notes of romanticisim and nostalgia while sounding fresh. The formula succeeds here. Yes, this is essentially a pop-rock album, but what's wrong with that? Innocence, excitement, and hope are things we need in this "Heartbreak World." Those who agree will respect Nathanson's fine attempt to capture these things.

I came across Matt Nathanson 2-3 years ago and was so pleased to have found an artist who really sings from the heart and whose music and lyrics are so way ahead of many other so called great artists. This new album is even stronger than his previous superb CD's. His voice is full of feeling and real emotion and every song feels like he really has thought about what he wants to say. The hook lines are absolute killers - each track stands out and tugs at your own feelings - listen at the same time as reading the lyrics - boy does this guy know how to write a song!!
It is rare to find someone who has his own sound and is unlike the many identikit sounds of so many bands.
I live in the UK and Matt Nathanson is unheard of here, but he deserves real success and hopefully UK radio will give him some airtime. Some Mad Hope wil certainly help him grow in the US and hopefully start him really selling records in the UK - then we might get to see hime live in the UK!!
So many new albums are full of weak fillers - not so here. Every track is superb. Anyway, listen to the samples and then treat yourself - Matt Nathanson definitely is around the top of my favourites. Thanks Matt for another gem.

Matt Nathanson's albums and live shows are both excellent and highly recommended. This is a must-have along with "Beneath these fireworks" and "At the Point," his previous two albums. The earlier stuff is great too, but this will probably the album to really get his name known.

Some highlights on this album are "Wedding Dress," "Still," "Bulletproof Weeks," and "Come on Get Higher." I have never found his lyrics cheesy like the reviewer said. In fact, one of Matt Nathanson's biggest strengths is his ability to write refreshing lyrics with unexpected metaphors and a sense of honest emotion to back them up. His live shows are also really amazing and not to be missed if the opportunity comes up.

My wife and I went to a local winery to listen to Toad the Wet Sproket concert. This guy was up on the stage tuning a guitar. To be honest, he had old jeans and a dumpy shirt and I thought he was one of the support guys up there just getting sound checks and stuff. Well, he keeps strumming some short chords, and then stopping, playing with stuff and humming to himself while we all talked and drank wine...but I keep listening, because there are a couple catchy parts and he seems like a really good guitar player.

Finally, he actually starts talking to us. "Hi. How you all doin'". Well, he talked to us. I mean, really talked to us and joked. It was great. And at the end of the show, I kept humming this one tune I had heard (car crash...which at the time he first started singing it, I thought he was saying "I want to feel a cat's a$$", LOL). Anyway, we bought his "Live at the Point" and "Beneath these Fireworks" albums. Quite possibly the best entertainment I've ever gotten for my music dollar. That was a year ago. And now I just wish I could find his "Please" album, so I could buy it for "Hold Me". Matt Nathanson has more songs per album on my "favorites" ranking than any album I've ever had. My wife wants to have his baby, or at least go to another one of his concerts. Grin. Listen to his albums. They grow on you and somehow, I never seem to get tired of them like a lot of albums do.

Just demo'ed a couple songs from Cary Brothers too, who is touring with him right now. I really like his new album. Drat...wish I could catch them in concert.

I've been a huge fan of Matt's ever since I first saw him by accident at the Point in Bryn Mawr, PA about 6 years ago. His live show was hysterical, but his music at that time seemed simplistic. It was made all the better with the audience interaction that he encouraged, so by the end of the night, the entire room was singing the refrains and became part his music. Its been rewarding watching his career progress, and the quality of his music and lyrics has increased dramatically.
This album is a pleasure to listen to.

You will not believe how amazing this is until you hear it. Car Crash hit the waves this year, and I came online and purchased this CD before it was out. I sat by the mail box and waited impatiently for it to be delivered. Matt did not let me down! I have this CD on my MP3 Player and listen and sing all the songs over and over. My co-workers think I should leave the singing to Matt, but I can't help but sing along. :)