Customer Reviews

When Everything Breaks Open

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Everyone will be talking about this 'debut' and might wonder just what took MATT MORRIS so long to find his way to the forefront of a fickle industry. Simple answer; he's a patient man who has been content to remain in the shadows of his former Mickey Mouse Club friends who found early success. In that contentment, he worked tirelessly on his craft, mastering instruments, honing his songwriting skills, producing and supporting others and himself, finally on the independent release, UnSpoken, to critical acclaim. And, he toured and sang in venues all of the states, mesmerizing all fortunate enough to be in attendance. All the while, waiting patiently and preparing for just this day. WHEN EVERYTHING BREAKS OPEN will be one of the most talked about releases this year. Matt has poured his soul into some incredibly intricate lyrics and arrangements that will leave you breathless. LET IT GO, SOMEONE to LOVE YOU, FORGIVENESS are just a few to specifically pay attention to. He's funky, soulful and provocative on DON'T YOU DARE, MONEY and LOVE. If he sounds like he's been doing this for years on tunes like JUST BEFORE THE MORNING, IN THIS HOUSE and ETERNITY.., well, he has. These songs have been written for this world we live in and now, they've found their time and place. Famous friend aside, we can thank Tennman Records (Justin Timberlake) for one thing and that's for allowing MATT MORRIS to soar with the supportive marketing a message like his sorely needed. You'll be a believer in one listen. Don't you dare turn away now.

I saw Matt Morris on The Ellen Degeneres Show and was literally stopped in my tracks. He performed "Money" and "Bloodline" and the combination of the voice, music, and lyrics just gave me the chills. I came directly here to purchase the album without even listening to any of the other sample tracks...which really says something for me, as I generally do not buy albums (maybe a track here or there).

This is definitely one artist to watch. I highly recommend this album.

I just saw Matt Morris perform on Letterman and have one word for it....WOW! Why haven't I heard of this man??? His voice is soulful, I love the lyrics of his songs, a great arrangement and back up on Money, which is what he sang on Letterman. Take the time to listen to the previews on Amazon and I think you'll agree this is going to be a successful release. Can't wait to hear more from Matt Morris.

Artist: Matt Morris
Album: When Everything Breaks Open

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

After hearing Justin Timberlake team with Matt Morris on the Haiti Relief effort, "Hallelujah," I can say that I was anxious to hear more of Matt Morris. While his soulful notes on a well-known, well-liked cover suited him, I wanted more and was curious as to what he could put out with his own vibe.

On first listen, When Everything Breaks Open was quite disappointing. Perhaps my expectations of the album were too high and unfair before I even pressed play, but I expected this soulful, acoustic, raw, and emotional outpouring, and instead heard an amalgamation of intermittent acoustic, synthesized background noise, and variable pop beats. Throughout though, I found myself rooting for Morris to break out with raw emotion and allowed myself to see some of it come through. With repeated play, I got over my own expectations and started to take the album for what it was, a tour through various musical genres, with some highlights along the way.

After about the 5th play, I appreciated the album significantly more and at least convinced myself that Morris was trying on different hats and succeeded, modestly albeit, at most of them. His best tracks, though, are still rooted in acoustic, soulful stories, at times as raw as Ray Lamontagne and Damien Rice. Make no mistake, his style is unlike either artist, but he excels, much as the other two, at what sounds like a 1-take studio recording, ripe from whatever event prompted the lyrics. That being said, I wanted more of that on this album and less of his shallower, "not quite pop, not quite soul" tracks.

From the acoustic, soul side of the album, "Let It Go" is one of the tracks I was hoping to hear, but "Someone to Love You" and "Bloodline" provided some emotional stories much in line with my own personal liking of what Morris can do. Despite, the criticism he's received from other reviews about his injection of Christian theme into his music, I applaud his efforts and did not see this as Christian crossover, but more as spiritual reflection that so happens to be Christian.

Truth be told, I was thrown for a loop with his opening track, "Don't You Dare," a synthesizer-heavy, pop track with some dark and raw undertone. After hearing this track, I was hoping it carried the theme further, but his pop efforts fell a bit short. However, it is evident that a strong pop album could certainly be among his productions in the future, one in which I would be interested to hear.

Undoubtedly, Matt Morris is going to be an artist to watch over the upcoming years. I'm hoping that this album was merely a teaser as to what's to come. Personally, I like a more coherent album, which is a little off the mark in this particular set of tracks, but I think whatever genre he chooses for his next album (if he does indeed choose one genre) will be an interesting listen. I give this album a solid 3 stars, with the opinion that this album is worth a good, intriguing listen now, but is unlikely to be in one's personal cannon of albums in future years.

Like a lot of other people, I was turned on to Matt Morris' music only recently. I saw him perform "Hallelujah" with Justin Timberlake on the Hope for Haiti Now benefit, and I was just floored. As I was searching YouTube to find a clip of that performance to post on my Facebook page, I came across many of Morris' other videos and songs. I was instantly hooked. How did I not hear about this guy? I immediately purchased "When Everything Breaks Open" from Amazon and went searching for his older albums. I found "UnSpoken" on LimeWire (sadly, it's now out of print and not available for purchase anywhere that I could find), and can say after listening to all of his released music that Morris is one of my favorite new artists.

"When Everything Breaks Open" is Morris' major label debut, and it's chock-full of his soulful pop songs. Combining elements of folk-pop, jazz, blues and R&B, Morris straddles the line between indie and mainstream with tracks that speak to the soul and evoke feelings of romanticism, passion and sexiness. Some may compare him to radio-ready acoustic singers like Jack Johnston and Jason Mraz, while others will likely conjure Jeff Buckley and Duncan Sheik, and both of those comparisons would be accurate, but personally I hear a lot more of contemporary jazz tunesmiths like Jamie Cullum and Michael Buble' in his music. Jazz-infused tracks like first single "Money," "Love" (written for his husband--yes, husband), "You Do it For Me," "Just Before the Morning" and "In This House" evoke Cullum and Buble' as much as they do Coldplay, Johnston and Mraz. There's true artistry in these songs; they often speak to something bigger than ourselves and do so through the sophisticated production of Charlie Sexton and Justin Timberlake, both of whom appear as supporting players on the album alongside other notable artists like Patty Griffin and Edie Brickell. There's not very much of the mainstream pop sounds he's created for the likes of Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson and Timberlake, but make no mistake: These are great pop songs, crafted with a maturity and precision for detail that eludes most other artists on the charts. It's not necessarily adult contemporary, but your mother and father would probably approve of it.

It's encouraging that people are discovering Morris' music ("When Everything Breaks Open" had catapulted into the Top 10 sales on iTunes and was sold out on Amazon as of this writing), and that so far nobody is really making a big huge deal out of his sexuality the way they are with Adam Lambert. Morris demonstrates that good music knows no such thing as limitations. Here's hoping that his star continues to rise. He's the real deal.

Wow--this guy is awesome. I have never heard of him before and just discovered him. I couldn't hear enough on the sound clips on amazon so i went to you tube and found many of his songs there.

The are soul stirring, heart wrenching, powerful, mesmerizing--I can not say enough good things about them. I really, really loved Eternity, Live Forever, and the Un-American. Bloodline is also powerful. Gosh it is hard to pick a favorite actually.



Check out his songs--they are awesome.

I am sure we will be hearing much more from Matt Morris!!!!

Matt Morris' album, When Everything Breaks Open, will give you a high-quality music experience - an experience that you only get every few years with a handful of artists: like Elvis, Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake.

Co-produced by Justin Timberlake and Charlie Sexton (best known as the guitarist for Bob Dylan's backing band) - the album straddles the art-music-world and pop-music-world - giving you music that is not only catchy (like pop music), but will stand the test of time (like jazz, folk music etc).

(Matt Morris just debuted his album on Jan 12, 2010 - and appeared on Letterman Jan 15, 2010, and is scheduled to be on Ellen on Jan 19, 2010.)

You'll remember Matt's songs after only listening to them once.

His songs stick with you: you'll sing them to yourself, you'll dance to them - you'll crave another listen.

You won't have to plow through the entire album looking for a song you'll like - it will be hard to find a song you don't love.

His vocals are technically-superior - he's right up there with Michael Jackson, and Matt's former Co-Mouseketeers Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake.

And it's 'what he does with his voice' that sets him apart the most: he explores a wide variety of tone-colors with his vocals - just listen to the way he sings the word 'money' in his song "Money" and you'll understand.

Matt's lyrics will speak to you: make you think, make you feel good...just like he does.

Because although Matt is a star - he takes the time to talk to his fans on Facebook ([...]) and other social networks - so it's a safe bet if you follow him long enough he might actually talk to you. That's Matt. That's what he's like. He has a huge heart - and you can hear it in his music.

And just like Matt is breaking down social-barriers by treating his fans with respect and kindness, Matt's album is breaking down music-barriers - starting now:When Everything Breaks Open

I'm in AWE of Matt Morris.
He is new, fresh, and brilliant. This cd is a must have in everyone's collection.
I listen to him all day long on repeat, can't say enough great things.

I stumbled across this album and played it as background noise for my afternoon chores. 4 hours later, I was singing along to the amazing tunes that are drenched in haunting melodies, visionary lyrics, and catchy hooks. This is a great album and a must have for anyone that actually cares about the music they listen to. Justin Timberlake (who signed Matt and appears on the album) has come across a gem.

I first heard Matt Morris when he sang Halellujah with Justin Timberlake. His voice is beyond beautiful. It stays with you. Love the CD. Amazon's delivery was timely as usual. I really like using Amazon for my purchases when I can.