January Flower

Theres a joyfulness and simplicity to Mat Kearneys sixth studio album, 2021s January Flower. Some of this is due, at least in part, to the recording process which found him writing many of the songs while in isolation in Joshua Tree. He then returned to his home in Nashville where he finished the recording with longtime producer Robert Marvin, who also contributed to 2006s Nothing Left to Lose and 2011s Young Love. Consequently, the album has a generous, relaxed vibe that feels borne of the arid, sunny vistas and gnarled oak tree limbs of Joshua Tree. Its a rootsy quality thats matched by the production as Kearney frames his warm voice in sparkling acoustic guitars, woody percussion, and burnished synths. Theres also a subtle 80s adult contemporary pop influence running through much of the album that he cleverly combines with more contemporary sounds. On Pontiac, he sets a sepia-toned Bruce Hornsby-esque piano to a clipped hip-hop beat. Similarly, They Dont Know features a Mark Knopfler-style guitar line woven against a percolating analog drum machine. These are also incredibly hooky songs whose bright melodies Kearney smartly juxtaposes with introspective lyrics. In his early forties at the time of recording, Kearney seems to be looking back over his life and trying to find a balance in middle age. On Pontiac, he ruminates on the less-complicated days of his youth, marking the passing of time with the poignantly ironic line, My mama worried bout my marriage, but now Im worried about my parents. And while theres an undercurrent of melancholic self-reflection underscoring much of January Flower, the overall tone is one of a buoyant, restorative pop bloom. ~ Matt Collar