Another Promotional CD I found for Matt Nathanson thanks to Discogs is a “Sampler” CD for his 2003 album ‘Beneath These Fireworks’. That album was Matt’s major label debut album on Universal Records, but it wasn’t his first CD by any means. The CD was a 3 song sampler for his upcoming album and was sent around to the Radio DJs, I am assuming. The cover for the Promo is the same as the album cover, the only difference is instead of saying “Beneath These Fireworks”, it says “Sampler”.
The first song and actually the first single is “Sad Songs”. The song feels like it could be the Goo Goo Dolls. The chorus is so catchy and it has a great hook. His delivery of the lines is confident and earnest. For a song called “Sad Songs”, the music is more upbeat and gives us a great dichotomy in styles.
The next track is “I Saw” which would’ve fit nicely on a Matchbox Twenty album. With clever little lyrics and heartbreaking and emotional delivery, we get a showcase of what Matt is capable of doing. It is a darker sounding song, with a very serious tone and some great piano notes that add so much drama. Yet the chorus brings us a little punch of energy and Matt sings his heart out. A beautiful tune.
One of the album’s highlights is “Little Victories”, which was actually on his album ‘Still Waiting for Spring’. This recording is definitely more polished, but the heart of the song is still the same. It is a soft, acoustic performance, with Matt’s vocals feeling warm and familiar. There is a string section that could’ve been lifted from Green Day’s “Good Riddance” and fit the radio sound of the time.
And that is it. Three songs and a great introduction to a stellar album. There is nothing new or remixed, it is really a sampler of the songs on the album so nothing new. The only reason to have this one is for the completist in you which is exactly why I have it.