REVIEWS:

Nov. 2024. Americana Highways reviews Songs of Surviving in the City, Vol. 1:

“Kearns is back with an amiable and thought-provoking sophomore release. As its moniker and song titles such as “Living on the Edge” suggest, he’s writing about the hard times. In “Endless Night,” for example, he sings about what his mother must have been feeling after his father died. According to Kearns, meanwhile, “Bureaucrat in the Snow” was inspired by the years he spent working in a law firm and suggests how “the corporate world…regiments one’s soul.” He draws on older memories for one of the album’s best songs, “The End of the World,” which concerns his childhood love of the 1963 Skeeter Davis hit of the same name.”

Barry Miles talks about J.M. Kearns’ May 2024 album, Before the coffee gets too cold:

“Each song tells a unique, poignant story. The album is masterfully written, performed, produced, and recorded. Favorite cuts are “Don’t Ever Dream”, “Not On This Train”, and “My Soul In Your Hands” (great M.Q. Murphy guitar solo) – but there isn’t a weak song in this dozen.” – Barry Miles

(Keyboardist/composer Barry Miles is one of the pioneers of jazz fusion and has worked with a who’s who of musical greats. He was Roberta Flack’s musical director for 15 years and has collaborated closely with Al Di Meola.)

Jeff Burger for Americana Highways on Before the coffee gets too cold:

“Many of the songs stem from personal experience and reflect the hard times that Kearns has endured. Among them are “My Soul in Your Hands,” which he describes as a “true story of a journey out of hell,” and the confessional “I Never Wanted to Be Him.” Another winner is “Nashville Will Teach You,” about trying to make it as a songwriter in that city. Kearns says this one “isn’t about me,” but it surely draws on his 13 years of experience as a struggling artist in that city. ‘If you don’t know how to lose,’ he sings, ‘Nashville will teach you.’ ”

Elmore magazine on J.M. Kearns’ Death or Life:

“A bluesy flair, his voice perfect for the lyric and sound... It's easy to hear the influence of John Prine and Gram Parsons... Intelligence, humor and musicianship.”

Davis Raines (songs recorded by Pat Green and Kenny Rogers) on Death or Life:

“Then comes our Man for All Seasons, the extraordinarily erudite King of the Mambo and his Hot Little Combo: J.M. Kearns and the Lonely Mammals... JM’s a favorite, a gifted writer and compelling performer whose songs examine the whole magilla, from the ridiculous to the sublime.”

Nashville Blues Society on The Squares’ Second Act:

“J.M. closes the set with help from everyone, telling a bittersweetly-humorous story of getting older, as “the fishin’s no fun when you’re Running Out Of Line.” This one features Debra on that nose flute, and is a really fine acoustic country blues, performed in a live setting.”