Brand new album featuring "Hey Mama".

2009 release from the American singer/songwriter, the follow-up to his hit album Nothing Left to Lose. City Of Black & White is an album informed by the traveling, performing and adventuring the Oregon-born, Nashville-based singer did while supporting that breakthrough album. An open-hearted album of self-discovery, City of Black & White is a chronicle of the people he met and missed during that journey. Musically, it's an upping of the ante, laced with hooks and rhythms that are meant to sneak up on you quietly and quickly, en route to winning your love.

Welcome to the Playlist series. Painstakingly compiled by the artists and the music nuts at Legacy Recordings, these collections truly represent an artists' complete body of work. We've fished through hundreds-thousands-of tracks to cherry pick the perfect playlists. Not just the hits (anyone can find those). The life changing cuts. The out-of-print tracks. The fan favorites everyone loves. The songs that make the artist who they are.

You’ll no doubt enjoy the sound of the beautifully remastered songs on this CD (as opposed to MP3's that contain less information, which translate into compromised sound). But we think the thing you'll appreciate most about this Playlist is that even though you didn't make it, you might wish you did.

In an industry dogged too much by cookie-cutter artists, Mat Kearney is a real breath of fresh air. Let's be honest: What music exec would ever suggest that a blending of John Mayer-like subtle pop, Toby Mac-like rap, and Chris Martin-esque vocals could be rolled together for a winning combination? Stylistically, that's what we get with Kearney's outstanding major-label debut Nothing Left to Lose. Nearly half of this album is culled from Kearney's Bullet release (2004), an independent label breakthrough success for the singer-songwriter. These gems include the pedestrian "Undeniable," the pseudo Coldplay ringer "In The Middle," and the my-girl-is-my-country metaphor of "Girl America." Kearney moves away from his hip-hop sensibilities into a more guitar-friendly pop vein on newer tracks "Crashing Down," "Can't Break Her Fall," "Where We Gonna Go From Here," and "Nothing Left To Lose." The starkly moving "All I Need" will grab your attention as Kearney sings of a couple whose efforts to escape their own relationship problems mirror their attempts to flee a natural disaster. One of the most attractive elements throughout is a sound unlike any other in Christian music. While Kearney does little to mask his own faith in the interest of gaining crossover appeal, it's his multi-flavored art that should draw listeners from all angles. Heart-gripping at moments, thought-provoking at others, Nothing Left to Lose is intelligent throughout and one of the top releases of the year thus far. --Michael Lyttle

In an industry dogged too much by cookie-cutter artists, Mat Kearney is a real breath of fresh air. Let's be honest: What music exec would ever suggest that a blending of John Mayer-like subtle pop, Toby Mac-like rap, and Chris Martin-esque vocals could be rolled together for a winning combination? Stylistically, that's what we get with Kearney's outstanding major-label debut Nothing Left to Lose. Nearly half of this album is culled from Kearney's Bullet release (2004), an independent label breakthrough success for the singer-songwriter. These gems include the pedestrian "Undeniable," the pseudo Coldplay ringer "In The Middle," and the my-girl-is-my-country metaphor of "Girl America." Kearney moves away from his hip-hop sensibilities into a more guitar-friendly pop vein on newer tracks "Crashing Down," "Can't Break Her Fall," "Where We Gonna Go From Here," and "Nothing Left To Lose." The starkly moving "All I Need" will grab your attention as Kearney sings of a couple whose efforts to escape their own relationship problems mirror their attempts to flee a natural disaster. One of the most attractive elements throughout is a sound unlike any other in Christian music. While Kearney does little to mask his own faith in the interest of gaining crossover appeal, it's his multi-flavored art that should draw listeners from all angles. Heart-gripping at moments, thought-provoking at others, Nothing Left to Lose is intelligent throughout and one of the top releases of the year thus far. --Michael Lyttle

Brand new album featuring "Hey Mama".

Japanese pressing includes four bonus tracks. Sony. 2009.