Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap, Pop/Rock
For fans of: Beck, Everlast, Coldplay
Label: Inpop Records

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In a music world longing for a new voice, Mat Kearney represents the singer-songwriter for the 21st century fan. While predominately keeping with an acoustic base, Kearney subtly incorporates a wide range of influences that paint his songs with an array of beautiful textures and sounds. At the same time, Kearney knows how to capture the words that resonate with one's deepest emotions. Making his recorded debut with Bullet, this Oregon-raised pioneer explores an artistic depth that delivers substance as well as style.

The album features everything—hip-hop beats, pop choruses, acoustic folk, spoken verses—all moving effortlessly from one influence to another without losing track of the core meaning. Says Kearney, "Hopefully there is a depth and intimacy of songwriting that goes beyond the novelty of a funky guy with an acoustic guitar. When I set out to write, I want to write something that will rip your heart out and connect with you. Great songs connect beyond genre and style."

Bullet exemplifies such a connection with "Undeniable," a beautiful pop song with an epic chorus and a catchy acoustic hook. The song itself finds inspiration in a troubled young man who told Kearney about his need to make changes in his life. Ironically, he was a student at a local high school, which was under construction at the time. Kearney, who drove by the school every time he went to the studio, turned the school's demolition into a metaphor for the uprooting of the young man's life. "The roots of that song are really in seeing joy on the other side of pain-of coming to know God and the undeniable nature of who He is."

Elsewhere on the album, "Train Wreck" blends ethereal guitars and hard-hitting drums with pure mass pop appeal. "It's a song based on Psalm 139, where David talks about God being our only source of hope-essentially that he's been ruined for Christ and that everything else pales in comparison."

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