New Sound, Same Great Storytelling...
Posted March 29, 2011
By SarahFine_NRT, Staff Reviewer
It’s the year 2007, and there is a new song on the radio you keep hearing with a catchy beat and virtually no chorus called “I’m Not Who I Was”, an unlikely choice for a radio single, but a brilliant move nonetheless. Skip ahead to 2011... Brandon Heath, the voice behind the aforementioned hit song as well as others such as “Give Me Your Eyes” and “Love Never Fails”, has not only become a two time Dove Award Winning male vocalist of the year, but he has also released two successful albums and been nominated for two Grammy’s. It’s no surprise that with all this success Brandon soon acquired a large fan-base, all of whom were wondering what Brandon had up his sleeve next. The answer? His third and newest release, “Leaving Eden.”
The album starts off with the title track, ‘Leaving Eden’, with a poignant and lyrically descriptive message about the growing darkness in this world, offering the reminder that this world isn’t our home. Eden‘s first single “Your Love” is next, a solid track that most fans will instantly gravitate to.
Others songs on the album such as “Light In Me” and “Now More Than Ever” sound a lot like previous hits such as “Give Me Your Eyes” and “Wait And See”, while the more slower tracks on the album such as “Only Water” mirror material more likely to be found on his debut release. “Stolen” is by far my favorite track on the entire album. Musically, but lyrically as well. Brandon has a way of painting abstract word pictures that grab your attention, this song being one of them (““You catch me like a thief in the night and hold me when I put up a fight… “)
“Might Just Save Your Life” and “No Good To Be Alone” are a few example of some new sounds Brandon used on this new record, which are a bit different from what you’ve heard of his music before, but still brilliant in the end. “It’s Alright” once again comes back to Brandon’s straightforward style of writing what can almost be considered grown-up lullabies, comforting the listener with the promise of God’s truth, this song also having a beautiful string section that really ties the words to the music.
The album concludes with “The One”, another upbeat track with a convicting message to go out and reach the world around us, and the melodic “As Long As I’m Here”, which goes back to the resonating theme of the album of temporary life on earth, eternal life above and the opportunity to make a change and reach the world for Jesus while we are here. It’s a solid way to the album and I like the fact that it acts as a journal of sorts, seeing as it begins with a question and ends with an answer.
Overall, I enjoyed this new album. I particularly enjoy the new sounds Brandon has started experimenting with musically, moving from straight up acoustic guitar driven songs (which he does quite well, might I add) to playing around with some funky automatic effects as well as some heavier programmed beats that fit his voice and the songs nicely. Some longtime Heath fans may not be too into the musical changes this album takes compared to his previous two albums, but they can all agree that lyrically, he has and continues to be one of the most honest songwriters in the genera. I look forward to hearing what’s next from Brandon, because if it’s anything like this album, we should expect something great. View All Music And Book Reviews By SarahFine_NRT | View SarahFine_NRT's Profile
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