Britt Nicole Returns
Posted October 09, 2016
By Joshuadh22,
For about a decade, Britt Nicole has been a source of hope and encouragement for listeners around the world. Her constant focus on providing music that revives the soul has given her such a massive fanbase that with her last studio effort Gold, she was able to re-release her music to mainstream audiences. It has been four years now since she has released new music (save for the remix album in March of 2015), and fans have been dying to know how the new Britt Nicole would sound.
Ultimately, the new music takes the classic Britt Nicole fun and heart and gives it a whole new level of maturity, as well as a healthy dosage of pure, clean, electronic-radio pop. The first single, Through Your Eyes, follows the trend of tropical house/pop music that has been on the rise lately, giving it a new Christian twist with lyrics that thank God for not looking at us as we do but instead allowing us to see us in the way only He does. A true gem and possibly her best work to date, this track really starts the album off with a bang. Introducing the theme of marriage and romance for the first time since marrying Joshua “MyKidBrother” Crosby, All the Money boasts an anthem-like chorus with one of the catchiest melodies on the record. Better marks the first ballad on the track list, and while in the lyrical sense it is classic Britt Nicole, it fails to be anything special musically. It does, however, feature some beautiful background vocals. Continuing with the encouraging messages, Work of Art includes soaring melodies and beautiful instrumentation, but becomes a bit too repetitive by the time the track ends.
Fallin in Love brings the fun, danceable beats back, along with some more catchy vocal work. Switching to a theme of being a source of encouragement to others, Be the Change features some interesting musical work, with a relatively minimalistic arrangement and a few unexpected but still functional chord changes to accompany the heartfelt message. No song on this album, however, is more musically unique and hard-hitting than All Day. Taking a somewhat melodic hip-hop/pop beat and putting it in 3/4 time, this track explores the thoughts and feelings of a mother who is truly devoted to her children. As Nicole sings her promise to her kids, “I give you all my love, I give you all my heart / All day, all night, for life, forever, always,” it’s hard not to feel the overwhelming emotion well up inside you. Opening with a cute appearance from her kids (not for the first time on the album), Pave revives the tropical vibe with bouncy, marimba-like synths and a fun flute lead.
No Filter features some of the most clever lyrics on the album, playing off the concept of filters that people use on their photos as merely ways to hide flaws. Dropping some funky disco-pop beats, Girls Night Out is irresistibly catchy and fun, especially with the added drive-thru dialogue in the bridge. Serving as the worshipful closer to the main album, After You is sure to be a hit among long-time fans. While it does come across as slightly generic lyrically, her proud proclamation that she is “not after the world, I’m after you” is a perfect summation of her life and career thus far.
The three deluxe edition tracks are such beautiful additions, it’s truly a shame they were not included on the main track list. Concrete is personally one of the most impactful songs here, with an empowering message sung gracefully atop a splendidly beautiful musical background. Taking the most hip-hop/trap flavored cues Britt Nicole has in a while, Heart of Stone features a stunning melodic drop as well as a rap that is very reminiscent of the style of twenty øne piløts. Bringing it all to a close, Electric Love revives the danceable disco music for one more fun beat to jam to, even if it does include some comparatively weak lyrics for the main hook.
Closing Thoughts:
While many may complain that Britt Nicole has removed too much of her Christ-centered messages in her latest outing, it is hard to deny that she has truly brought the most accessible collection of Christian pop in her career to the table. I implore those who are disappointed with the seeming “lack of God” in her new songs to give them another spin, remembering that not every track has to mention Him directly to be about Him or something that He would say, as well as the fact that she ultimately takes all her inspiration from Him. In the end, Britt Nicole has given us a completely new set of inspirational and heartfelt tracks that is quite possibly her best record to date, sure to last us until the next round.
Song to Download Now:
"Through Your Eyes" (Get it on iTunes here.)
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