A decade after releasing his first album, Matt Nathanson has reached a point of recognition worthy of his talent. Though most people would probably recognize his music from spots on Dawson's Creek or the soundtrack to the recent film American Wedding, Nathanson has been grass rootsing it for ten years, touring in beat up cars with just a six and twelve string for company (and later cellist Matt Fish) and building a strong, cult-like following before finally signing to Universal (which is probably the first good move UMG has made in years).

Matt's new album is a bit more mature than his previous outings both musically and lyrically; he works his poppy acoustic/rock style well, fleshing out his solo sound with a plethora of guest musicians and extremely competent engineering. Light, quirky lyrics are well overshadowed by Nathanson's highly palatable vocal stylings; he caters his songs to his vocals extremely well, which gives the album a very complete feeling, a sense that it simply couldn't be done any better.

BTF recycles a few older and familiar songs, which is nothing new to Nathanson (who, like the Old 97s, tends to have at least one re-recording of a previously recorded song per album) and is especially forgivable now, this being his first major label release, but was probably not the best idea, especially in the case of "Lucky Boy" (a track from his last full-length), the new version of which pales in comparison to its previous counterpart.

Beneath These Firworks is a strong, enjoyable album, and probably the best record Universal released in 2003. The engineering is flawless, crisp and precise, and the album flows pretty well throughout; however, the songs overall simply aren't as strong as those on his last full-length, 1999's Still Waiting for Spring. This aside, it is a solid release from a musician whose time has finally come.

-Dave Mandell