Matt White is bringing crazy back, but don't worry, It's The Good Crazy.
Available online/in stores now via Ryko, Matt's sophomore album, It's The Good Crazy, is a wild romp through the Big Apple and beyond. The piano phenom fuels that ride with a combination of propulsive piano playing and sly lyrics. First single, "Falling in Love (With My Best Friend)," recounts a friendship turned romance with a heavy dose of Woody Allen-style wit and an intoxicatingly infectious falsetto. During "She's On Fire," Matt's robust baritone takes over, illuminating how incendiary he can get while singing about a fiery femme fatale. Then there's a detour to the psychiatrist's office on the endearingly bizarre "Therapy," while "Taking On Water" dives deep into meandering emotions with an epic melody. By the end of the first listen, going a little nutty with Matt White just feels so right.
The album may be the follow-up to Matt's 2007 Geffen debut Best Days, but it's truly a formal introduction to the singer-songwriter. Writing and helping to compose the production on every song himself, he decided to go back to his piano roots for It's the Good Crazy, and the results are nothing short of spectacular. "This is really my first record," he declares. "Best Days was essentially chasing a time, and I experimented with a lot of nuances, like playing the guitar on half the record. But, playing the piano has always been my one true love. My parents constantly took me to concerts including The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and Elton John, and it was those outings that gave me the itch to start playing the piano. This time, about 80 percent of It's The Good Crazy is done on piano."