Send "Matt White " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Absolutepunk |
 Who?Matt White is a New York City based singer-songwriter. It's The Good Crazy is his second full-length studio disc and his first on Rykodisc. How is it? Terrific. Album opener "And The Beat Goes On" is drenched in piano and White's striking falsetto. There's a whimsical nature to the song's arrangement and within a minute it's entirely obvious that on this release White is not taking himself too seriously. He feels relaxed and loose and more comfortable. That the song is also one of the best of his career is certainly no surprise. "Falling In Love (With My Best Friend)" is soft and earnest and he chases down singer-songwriter introspection. The chorus is happy-go-lucky while the verses are intimate and ruminative. There's nothing wrong with the song but it does feel a bit limp as a second track. "She's On Fire" is a total sex jam as White performs vocal gymnastics and rattles off verses with the efficiency of pick-up lines. Though the song doesn't exactly go anywhere, there's a sensual and inviting vibe at work that keeps the listener engaged. "Taking on Water," is a straightforward acoustic offering not entirely different from "Falling in Love," and one wishes that at this point, White might chase down something different. As if cognizant of this he puts his best foot forward on "Colorblind" a gorgeous and near-perfect composition about devotion. Featuring an indelible chorus, flawless vocal control and an amiable mid-tempo movement, "Colorblind" is Matt White at his finest. The bare-bones piano ballad "When I Fall" follows and illustrates more of White's underrated falsetto. The song's structure is earthy, direct and honest, allowing him to be both sincere and tender. That being said the song still features one of the more boring refrains put to pen this year. How many songs have to ask "Will you catch me if I fall?" before the phrase gets retired. Honestly. Vanessa Carlton wore it out with "A Thousand Miles," and yet nearly a decade later, starving artists are still using it as a fall back option....full text |
| Schwegweb |
| Matt White has been around for a surprisingly long time. Although most people won’t know it, his songs have been featured in shows such as The Hills, One Tree Hill and Laguna Beach as well as movies such as She’s The One and Shrek the Third. His music is generally low-key and might remind listeners a bit of artists such as David Gray. The tracks on It’s The Good Crazy range from upbeat, pop-oriented songs to much slower and moodier tracks. While White may not be on the general radar, he should be since his songs are well written, well performed and his latest album is a solid collection of strong and interesting songs. “And The Beat Goes On” opens the album and is one of those aforementioned upbeat tracks. It has a little bit of a Dexy’s Midnight Runners feel going on and often White’s vocals range into falsetto territory, but somehow he’s able to pull it all of and leave listeners with a soulful track. “Falling in Love (With My Best Friend)”slows things down a little bit but maintains that same soulful approach as found on the first song. The slide guitar between chorus and verse adds a nice touch and a little something different. “When I Fall” is one of the prettiest songs on the album and is reminiscent of Billy Joel in the mid 1990s. The song is much slower than the rest on the album and focuses primarily on vocals and a beautiful piano melody which allows White to really show what he is capable of. “Honeymoon Phase” takes yet another approach and has almost a Paul Simon sound to it. It seems a slightly jarring change after the ease of “When I Fall” but it’s difficult to deny White’s natural talent on a track like this. “Teacher Teacher” has a far more gritty feel than any of the other tracks and brings in some blues and country influence which is a nice change from the rest of the album. That isn’t to say there’s anything wrong with the tracks thus far, but the sound adds a nice mix to the overall feel of the album and is a nice standout among the rest....full text |
| Esdmusic |
| Thanks to the success of guys like John Mayer, a new crop of “sensitive” singer-songwriters has flourished in the music world. The dawn of the 21st century brought along the resurgence of musical guys with “feelings,” and Matt White is one of the latest artists to attempt to stake his claim in that crowded scene. In a perfect blend of an old archetype with new-school technology, White (who uses piano as his primary instrument but also plays guitar) was discovered by record execs after amassing over 50,000 friends and fans on MySpace. It’s the Good Crazy, White’s second full-length album, is exactly what you’d expect a modern-day singer-songwriter album to be. Many songs on the album turn out to be reminiscent of songs or artists that have been omnipresent on Adult Top 40 radio these last few years. You hear echoes of Coldplay (right down to the falsetto) on the spare piano ballad “When I Fall,” a sound White might want to explore further, as it’s the best track on the album. The funky “On My Wall” conjures up Adam Levine’s many Prince impressions, and “Colorblind” (at least instrumentally) is reminiscent of Mayer’s “Your Body is a Wonderland.” They’re all pleasant enough, but the fact that they recall other artists makes one wonder if White will be able to carve out his own niche – it’s the only thing that’s going to make him stand out amongst the legions of young male songwriters. I definitely dig the guy’s voice. While his normal range is relatively anonymous, White has a soaring falsetto that impresses even though he occasionally veers into screechy territory. Lyrically, there’s definitely a sense that he suffers from that borderline annoying smart-assery that plagues guys like Jason Mraz. Ultimately, It’s the Good Crazy turns out to be fairly standard singer-songwriter fare, but there’s enough promise shown to suggest that a really good album might be within his reach. (Rykodisc 2010)...full text |
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