On his much visited MySpace page, New York-based acoustic-electric singer/songwriter
Matt White urges fans to "listen with the top down," and there's no question that his bright, jangly songs -- which range from the sweet, rolling
Jack Johnson-vibed pop of the title track and "Love" to punchy, super-infectious light rockers like "Moment of Weakness" -- truly live up to the images of breezes through your hair and sunlight on the water (for those on the West Coast anyway).
White, whose mix of falsetto-tinged vocals with the kinds of edgier expressions he displays on "New York Girls" is impossible to resist, is truly a product of the 2000s, when indie rock driven by MySpace plays is king. The story goes that a fan sent an MP3 of
White's hard-driving rocker "Miracles" to an A&R rep at Geffen Records. Over 50,000 MySpace fans helped seal the deal, and mega producers
Ron Fair (president of Geffen) and
Thom Panunzio (head of A&R) helmed this sparkling debut with two other famed producers,
Jack Joseph Puig and
Paul Umbach. With this kind of legendary company,
White just can't lose. His looks and charisma make him easy to cross-market, with appearances on hit shows like One Tree Hill, Laguna Beach, and Men in Trees, but his upbeat music speaks for itself as a positive expression of wistful romance in a world where it would be easier to be pessimistic. You could be listening to
White while having the worst day imaginable, and this forward-thinking artist could charm you into believing it's possible to find "Just What I'm Looking For" -- and more importantly, the innocent joy of a soulful "Paradise." When he sings "I want you to come with me" on that anthemic closing track, we're only too happy to oblige. ~ Jonathan Widran