City of Black & White
City of Black & White is the third studio album by Mat Kearney. Released on May 19, 2009, it follows his 2006 major-label debut Nothing Left to Lose. The first single "Closer to Love" was released on March 10, 2009 as a digital download. To promote the album, Kearney toured with Keane and The Helio Sequence.[4] On the day of its release, the bonus track version peaked at #7 on the iTunes Top Albums, and the standard version peaked at #19.[5] Kearney wrote the title track while traveling in Turkey. He explained that this song "was born on a ferry as I crossed the Bosphorus River, which splits Istanbul in two.".[6] "Fire & Rain" was also released as a digital download to MySpace the week of the album release. Immediately after the album was released, "Lifeline" was used in commercial advertisement for season 3 of Lifetime Television's Army Wives. The commercial has been aired not only on Lifetime but ABC as well.
City of Black & White | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 19, 2009 | |||
Recorded | Blackbird Studios Nashville, Tennessee | |||
Genre | Rock, Pop, Acoustic | |||
Length | 50:02 63:45 (Bonus Track Version) | |||
Label | Aware / Columbia | |||
Producer | Robert Marvin, Mat Kearney | |||
Mat Kearney chronology | ||||
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Singles from City of Black & White | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
The Album Project | [2] |
Jesus Freak Hideout | [3] |
According to Soundscan, as of September 21, 2010, City of Black & White has sold 87,459 copies in the US.
Track listing
All songs written by Mat Kearney unless stated otherwise.
- "All I Have"- 4:49
- "Fire & Rain"- 3:50 (Mat Kearney, Robert Marvin)
- "Closer to Love" – 3:37 (Mat Kearney, Robert Marvin, Josiah Bell)
- "Here We Go" – 4:14 (Mat Kearney, Robert Marvin)
- "Lifeline" - 4:14 (Mat Kearney, Trent Dabbs, Matthew Perryman Jones)
- "New York to California"- 4:15
- "Runaway Car" - 4:12
- "Never Be Ready" - 3:37 (Mat Kearney, Trent Dabbs, Hilary Lindsey)
- "Annie" - 3:49
- "Straight Away" - 3:51
- "On & On" - 4:02 (Mat Kearney, Kate York)
- "City of Black & White" - 5:38 (Mat Kearney, Michael Logen)
- "Everyone I Know" (iTunes bonus track) - 4:33
- "Here We Go (Acoustic)" (iTunes bonus track) - 4:04
- "All I Have (Acoustic)" (iTunes bonus video) - 5:06
- "Closer to Love (Acoustic)" (iTunes pre-order bonus track) - 5:06
- "Save A Line" (Best Buy bonus track) - 4:09
- "Fire & Rain (Acoustic)" (Best Buy bonus track) - 3:51
City of Black & White Revisited (EP)
In 2019, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the album, an EP titled City of Black & White Revisited was released. It peaked at number 46 on the Top Christian Albums chart.
Track listing
- "City of Black & White (Re-recorded)"
- "All I Have (Re-recorded)"
- "Fire & Rain (Re-recorded)"
- "New York To California (Re-recorded)"
- "Closer To Love (Re-recorded)"
Source:[7]
Personnel
- Mat Kearney - vocals (1-12), acoustic guitar (1-3, 5, 7-12), electric guitar (2-4, 6, 7, 9-11), CP70 (4), keys (5), piano (6, 10), synths (6, 11), vocal choir (6), bells (7), mandolin (12)
- Robert Marvin - piano (1, 2), synths (2-4, 8, 9, 12), programming (2, 3), keys (3, 4, 11), vocoder (4, 12), tack piano (5), synth bass (7, 8), synth textures (7), CP70 (8, 9), sampler (11)
- Tyler Burkum - acoustic guitar (1), electric guitar (1)
- Paul Moak - electric guitar (3, 5-11), B3 (11, 12), electric guitar (12), electric mandolin (12)
- Lynn Nichols - electric guitar (4, 5, 8)
- Dan Brigham - electric guitar (10, 12), upright piano (12), cello (12), guitar (12), programming (12), sonic textures (12)
- Gabe Scott - hammered dulcimer (3, 12), lap steel (6, 12)
- Tony Lucido - bass (1, 2, 4-8, 10, 11)
- Mike Elizondo - bass (3)
- Aaron Sands - bass (9)
- Jeremy Lutito - drums (1, 2)
- Aaron Sterling - drums (3, 5, 7, 9-11)
- Joshua Crosby - drums (4)
- Will Sayles - drums (8)
- Josiah Bell - programming (3, 10)
- Claire Indie - cello (6)
- Jason Lehning - keys (11), electric guitar (11), piano (12)
Charts
Chart (2006) | Peak position |
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US Billboard 200[8] | 13 |
US Christian Albums (Billboard)[9] | 1 |
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[10] | 3 |
References
- Allmusic review
- The Album Project review Archived 2009-04-09 at the Wayback Machine
- Jesus Freak Hideout review
- "Official Site". Mat Kearney. Retrieved 2012-02-09.
- Archived April 28, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- City of Black & White Songfacts
- https://www.amazon.com/City-Black-White-Revisited-Kearney/dp/B07T2C7G6S
- "Mat Kearney Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
- "Mat Kearney Chart History (Christian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
- "Mat Kearney Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2020.