Week 8: "Hello Fear" by Kirk Franklin

Kirk Franklin’s 12th studio album entitled “Hello Fear” dropped less then a week ago and is already redefining modern gospel music. Themed around the obvious subject of “fear,” this album has got to be one of the single most uplifting records I have listed to, right up there with Gungor’s “Beautiful Things” that I reviewed a few weeks ago.  Disregarding the phenomenal talent of the music it is apparent that the lyrics and message of the songs did not come from Kirk because of the raw power and emotion in these tracks. This album has something for believers and nonbelievers alike because unlike many worship albums out there Kirk writes about thoughts that have been placed in everyone’s mind at some point or another. This idea is strengthened through the art of production; almost every track has some moment, small or large, where audience sounds are added in to add that extra depth to “Hello Fear.” When the song reaches climax moments you will hear inserts of amen’s or hallelujah’s that put you in that old southern church congregation.
Moving from the emotional effect of this album to the pure talent that this group brings to the record you get into the pureness of “Hello Fear.” Few albums have blown me away with the clarity of the instrumentation and production ideas. Yes this album does have some electronic arrangements added to the song, but unlike some other timbre-combined albums out there, “Hello Fear” is a perfect combination of both live recording and sampling. The most mind blowing instrumentations are that of the vocals in this album…now…being it a southern gospel influenced album I knew that it was going to have some cool parts but the album in its entirety is literally overflowing with talent and skill in every aspect to the musicians.
“Hello Fear” needs to be experienced by Christians and non-Christians alike, Southern gospel lovers and non-southern gospel lovers. I’ve said this about a few albums recently but non-more deserving then “Hello Fear.” If you have experienced hardships in life, and chances are you have, this album may be just the encouragement that you need.

 NEXT WEEK!
British Sea Power's "Valhalla Dancehall"

Twitter: @ProjectMusicMon

Week 7: "100 Lovers" by DeVotchKa

I’m just going to jump into this weeks post and say that artists have blown me away in the past and especially within these past 6 weeks, but DeVotchKa’s “100 Lovers” really has made me question my own writing style when it comes to music. Things were done on this album that I could not even fathom without having heard it, blending traditional styles of music and modernized influences to create something simply beautiful. This unclassifiable group of musicians really strikes a chord with the listeners’ heart and soul in a very successful way. To compare DeVotchKa to any artist that I have heard in the past would be an insult to the group as they are unlike anything I have heard.

DeVotchKa breaks the mold when it comes to writing ideas. One second you are listening to a song driven by violins and clapping and before you notice you are halfway through “Exhaustible” whose main hook comes from the act of whistling. The only thing comparable in the diversity of musical instruments is the genres that DeVotchKa writes in. Various sources have tried to classify this group as things such as Slavic, Greek, Romani, and Mariachi influenced…and while all these areas of style are present in their albums, to classify them as this does not to them justice.  The groups lead singer says…

“We always hoped with this band to not get pinned down by genres, but everyone probably says that…my ideal way someone would describe us would be romantic, exotic or hopefully just plain good.”

                                                            -Nick Urata

                                                                       

                                     …..Mr. Urtata, I would call it exactly that.

           

DeVotchKa Brings a very mature writing style to today’s music scene. In its entirety it is mature, cinematic, emotional, and intellectual. Stripping each song down to its fundamental roots…it is simply good. This album is one that would seem to be different to everyone. I leave DeVotchKa’s “100 Lovers” up to you, the listener, the thinker, the interpreter…to decide what it actually is. Myself, I look forward to spending more time with this album, along with previous and future creations.

Week 6: "The Secret Sisters" by The Secret Sisters

Older styles of music have fallen by the wayside and seem to have since been forgotten. The Secret Sisters, however, do not let this happen to the deep southern church/country genre. Alabama bred sisters Laura and Lydia Rodgers make up this powerful duet and bring us their self titled album, produced by T-Bone Burnette.
The Review: This was a breath of fresh air listening to "The Secret Sisters" as I am a fan of styles that are the backbone of modern music. The sisters bring back southern gospel-esque style singing from the 1920's. Focusing on just the vocal aspect of this album...wow. These sisters seem to sing as one entity with layered harmonies and timbre between each other. Once you add the tallent of the musicians that back these vocals, and the production of T-Bone, you have a finished product that is truly a fun listen. This being said..."The Secret Sisters" is a bit of a repeat because it is all pretty much the same style. While there are a few tracks that vary, it is generally just more of the same. Now an upside of this and a factor that I do not believe hurt the album at all is that it is just under a half an hour long. So while it is "just more of the same" it is not like it drags on for hours. You get the simple sweet taste of The Secret Sisters but not the dull repetitiveness.
Notable Songs: There wassent really any notable songs to me off this album...Not trying to cut this weeks review short...I just feel that you either like this album or you don't. However if you wanted me to recommend one...I would say that a good "snapshot" of this album would be "Tennessee Me." It is a good example of "The Secret Sisters" are capable of.

The Good: Something different, and extremely talented ladies. This would be a great break from your normal iTunes mix.
The Bad: As I said, each track is more of the same and if you don't like that style there is nothing on this album for you.

Should You Get It?: Listen before you buy.
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NEXT WEEK! DeVotchKa "100 Lovers"
Only through the first 2 tracks and this has already been an enjoyable album.

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Week 5: "One Last Century" by The Damnwells

Brooklyn bred indie rock group The Damnwells have been putting out albums since the turn of the century so I feel stupid that it has taken me so long to latch onto them....I fell in love after the first 30 seconds of One Last Century(OLC).

The Review:
Combining feelings and styling of Ryan Adams with a more "pop"ish tone, The Damnwells bring twelve tracks full of memorable melodies and deep set lyrical arrangements that will grasp the listeners ear and hold them through OLC's entirety. Themes of heartbreak, "What should have beens", and hope bring the raw emotion of Alex Dezen's songwriting through. OLC varies on and off of these and allows listeners to scratch the surface of Dezen's state of mind. Taking a step away from the emotional influences of OLC and moving to the instrumentation I must say this is one of the more enjoyable albums I have heard in a long time. I do a lot of pairing with my music and OLC is beyond perfect summer driving tunes, solely because of the style of writing and layering of instruments. A majority of the album is structured on a more chill, indie, acoustic feel with the acoustic and vox being the main focus of the song with open drumming behind but there are the few songs that can really rock.

Notable Songs:
First up in this is the 3rd track "Dandelion." This song is so simple but brings so much punch behind it. This was the frist song I heard of off OLC so that may have a bit of weight in why I love it above some of the other songs but I feel like this is one of the more versatile songs on the album, it can be applicable to many listeners.
The second falls into the category of one of those more rockin songs, and that is "55 Pictures." This is the song I most connected with out of the whole album for pretty much every reason stated thus far. It can rock, but at the same time it is very straightforward and can just be grooved to.
The last notable is "Closer Than We Are." The biggest thing that stands out to me in this song is how powerful and...simply beautiful the chorus is. Themes in this song are very heavy in the romantic area and it works for the song. Vocals are the most powerful aspect of this song, as stated before, especially in the chorus. The downfall of this song is that it just leaves you wanting more and I say that in a good way. Some songs fail because they just sound like a broken record and I think that is what this song could have used more of, simply because of how powerful the chorus is.

The Good: Solid album. Musically, it is very tight. Perfect for that summer driving.
The Bad: Might only being appealing at certain times.

.....The Best?! did i forget to mention that its free? All you have to do is just sign up for the mailing list...come on. you can do that for a free album can't you? that leads me to the last part...

Should You Get It: YES Free Download!!!

Future album: Their newest album comes out on the....15th? Be sure to get it if you liked OLC!
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Side note...I apologize if this weeks PMM seems poorly written, I let it creep up on me and didn't do much prep work. This will not happen in the future.