Mat Kearney

Kris Allen Album Won't Include Chris Daughtry, Mat Kearney Tracks

26 Oct 2009 10:42:00 EDT

'American Idol' winner debuts three new songs at Miami Dolphins tailgate concert
By Gil Kaufman

Just a few days after "American Idol" winner Kris Allen tweeted that he finished his self-titled major-label debut (and misses Nickelodeon's "Doug," by the way), the full track listing for the November 17 album has been revealed.

While the debut had many musical cooks, according to the track listing obtained by Entertainment Weekly, it appears that songs co-written by fellow "Idol" alum Chris Daughtry, as well as those with singer/songwriter Mat Kearney, did not make the cut.




	Kris Allen Performs In Miami

Kearney had previously told MTV News that the tune he was working on with Allen would rough up the squeaky-clean Conway, Arkansas, native's image. "It's driving ... it has some edge to it," Kearney said earlier this month. "That may make it so they don't want to [include it on the album]."

At Sunday's Miami Dolphins tailgate concert, Allen debuted three of the new songs — "Written All Over My Face," "Before We Come Undone" and "Can't Stay Away" — as well as first single "Live Like We're Dying" and a cover of Britney Spears' "Hit Me Baby One More Time."

The track listing, which was reportedly confirmed by Allen's people, reveals that singer co-wrote all but four of the album's 13 songs. In addition to "Live Like We're Dying" and "Written All Over My Face" — both written by the team of Steve Kipner, Andrew Frampton and the Script members Danny O'Donoghue and Mark Sheehan — the album includes "The Truth," penned by Train's Pat Monahan and songwriter/producer Toby Gad (Beyoncé's "If I Were a Boy"). The album's bonus track is a cover of Kanye West's "Heartless," which Allen famously performed during his "Idol" run.

Allen has a solo writing credit for "Red Guitar," a song he wrote long before he appeared on "Idol." He also chipped in on "Bring It Back," written with British songwriter Francis "Eg" White (Adele, Duffy); "Alright With Me," co-penned by the Fray guitarist Joe King; and "Let It Rain," with Swedish songwriter Tobias Karlsson. He also collaborated with Lindy Robbins (Demi Lovato, Jordin Sparks), and Greg Kurstin (Kylie Minogue, Lily Allen) on "Before We Come Undone," with Robbins also pitching in on "Can't Stay Away" and "I Need To Know." The other two tracks, "Is It Over" and "Lifetime," were both produced and co-written by Dr. Dre/Eminem associate Mike Elizondo (Maroon 5, Blake Lewis). Switchfoot singer Jon Foreman also contributed to "Lifetime."

"Is It Over" has a songwriting credit for one of Allen's hometown pals, songwriter Cale Mills, who is now a member of Allen's band. Mills has frequently performed with the "Idol" champ over the years, accompanied him on his audition for the show and was in Hollywood to cheer his friend on during the final rounds of the competition.

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Mat Kearney Gets A Boost From 'Vampire Diaries,' 'Grey's Anatomy'

08 Oct 2009 07:02:00 EDT

An 'Army Wives' promo could determine the TV favorite's next single.
By Jim Cantiello

You might not know his face yet, but if you've turned on a television at any point in the past three years, there's a good chance you've heard a Mat Kearney song. His dreamy, heartfelt rock is the go-to choice for shows like "Grey's Anatomy," "One Tree Hill" and "The Closer." In fact, even Lauren Conrad has been known to stare longingly into space while Mat's tunes blare on "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills."

But it's "Grey's Anatomy" that has been the most consistent Kearney supporter since his Columbia debut hit stores in 2006. And Mat couldn't be happier, even if the show's use of his songs is occasionally ... odd.

"I'm watching ['Grey's Anatomy'], and there's this big logging-accident operation," the singer/songwriter recalled. "And then my song ['Crashing Down'] comes in! I was like, OK, 'Crashing Down,' I get it. The log crashed down into their stomach, they had to remove it. Very literal use of my song. Like, really? That's how you see my song?"

"The Vampire Diaries" viewers recently caught Kearney's latest single, "Closer to Love," and when it comes time to pick the second single from his newest album, City of Black & White, Kearney is torn between going with his gut or piggybacking another TV opportunity.

"I don't know what the next [single's] gonna be. That's the source of many meetings. The first song [on the album] is called 'All I Have.' And it started with this lyric: 'Here we go at it three years later.' And it felt like a great lyric to start my album off. ... So that could be a [single], and there's another song called 'Here We Go' that I love," Kearney said, before adding with a shrug, "And there was another song called 'Lifeline' that was used in some sort of TV thing." (That "TV thing" refers to Lifetime Television's promo campaign for their hit series "Army Wives.")

Kearney admits he's new to the TV game. "I'm starting to watch TV. I'm traveling and I'm on a bus, so you can't always control when and where and what you're watching, so I've gotten into certain shows." Kearney's current fave? "Friday Night Lights." "I freaking love that show! I'm way behind, though. Everybody knows what's going on, but I'm on season one. And 'Dexter'! I'm going into season two, and I saw him holding a baby [in a billboard for the fourth season]. That bums me out. I don't wanna know that! But it's cool. It's how I live my life."

Lately, Kearney is living life on the road in a nationwide tour that just rocked a sold-out show in New York. "It feels like, in some ways, we've been on tour for four years, but it's only been a week. And we have, like, 30 more shows, so I'm very excited," Kearney said. "This is a very big tour for me."

Now if he only had the time to catch up on "Dexter."

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'American Idol' Champ Kris Allen Is The 'Real Deal,' Mat Kearney Says

01 Oct 2009 15:58:00 EDT

'He had a really strong sensibility,' singer/songwriter says of collaborating with Allen for major-label debut.
By Jim Cantiello

NEW YORK — Mat Kearney's songs have been featured everywhere from "Grey's Anatomy" to a Bruce Springsteen-helmed charity CD. The next place the singer/songwriter hopes to hear his work is the major-label debut of "American Idol" winner Kris Allen.

Kearney teamed up with Kris in early August to write a top-secret tune and is very pleased with the results. "We wrote a song and it's awesome," Kearney boasted to MTV News while he was in NYC for a tour stop.

Amid a flurry of the usual "Idol" collaborators (Ryan Tedder, Claude Kelly), Allen surprised many when he announced that he was also working with Kearney. The Nashville-based singer/songwriter was just as surprised. "I think [Kris] was just a fan," Kearney said of how they ended up collaborating. "What he told me was that he was just picking bands that he liked." (Those bands apparently include Semisonic, Daughtry, the Fray and the Calling — members from each of those groups have all been mentioned in connection with Kris' album.)

Having worked with Kris in the midst of the breakneck pace of the American Idols Live! tour, it's no surprise the trip ended up being a bit of a whirlwind. "[His people] called me and he flew into town, and I made coffee and we sat in my living room and we wrote some stuff," Kearney said. "Before they knew it, it was late at night, and they had to find an open studio to record a demo before Kris had to skip town. They eventually settled on Kearney's friend's "ghetto" makeshift home studio. "He sang it in, like, one take and it was amazing. I was like, 'You should enter some sort of singing contest. You could do something with that,' " Kearney joked. "That guy can sing."

Apparently, Kris can write too, which was an even nicer surprise for Kearney, who admitted he usually associates "Idol" with vocalists, as opposed to singer/songwriters: "Someone wants to 'write' a song with you, you're like, 'Great, you want to come over and I'll write a song so you can be co-writer.' " But Kris' abilities shattered Kearney's expectations. "He was awesome, and he had amazing input and he had a really strong sensibility. ... I was like, 'Wow, this guy's the real deal!' "

Kearney admitted that he didn't know much about Kris before their session together. "I knew that he was the cute guy who was really nice who told people about his wife or something. And Simon didn't like that. That's all I knew. And I knew he had sung [Kanye West's] 'Heartless.' " But it didn't take long before the two singers with a sharp sense of humor hit it off. "He's a totally cool guy, totally enjoyed being with him. ... I have nothing to say about it other than he was great. And he bought an amazing trout for everyone. We ate trout! Keeping it Southern."

Kris Allen's still-untitled debut is scheduled to hit stores November 17, while Mat Kearney is currently on tour supporting his latest album, City of Black & White.

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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