Lauren Daigle (S\/T)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This applauded and awarded songstress has an uncanny ability and track record of singing right through the ribcage of most every audience member, grab ahold of those heartstrings and pull hard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She wisely put \u201cThank God I Do\u201d as track number one on this third and self-titled album. It\u2019s a slow and plodding tune that warns the fearful from its very first note on the piano. \u201cI\u2019m gonna grab you (heart), and pull you into a worshipful, desperate, and thankful conversation with God.\u201d That\u2019s exactly what it does. Every verse is thoughtfully and seemingly delivered with a \u201clisten to me, I\u2019m pouring my heart out\u201d cadence. It\u2019s the kind of tune one could start crying as they try to sing along. It carries a theme of, \u201cI\u2019d be lost without You, if I didn\u2019t know You and didn\u2019t have You around,\u201d but \u201cthank God I do.\u201d Call it a hymn of gratefulness or hymn of gratitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSaint Ferdinand\u201d is a fun, almost country off-beat tune that playfully tells a story of a person that makes a heavenly impact on his community. A triumphant yet humble tune that\u2019s really sticky, catchy, and begging for a sing-along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNew\u201d sounds like it was recorded in a dirty, brick studio in Brooklyn sometime around 1975. Horns, tight drumming, and grooving background vocals deliver a rich soul sound that could get a crowd dancing and shuffling. The harmonies in the chorus are infectious. The varying speeds which Daigle takes on the verses is skillful and crisp, making for a nice blend. The horns are so fun and the sudden ending is trick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWaiting\u201d drives further down the deep soul road. This album really sounds like an album this artist wanted <\/em>to make. Going into the studio to follow-up the mega-successful Look Up Child<\/em> had to be intimidating. Instead of experimenting or deviating too much from its core sound, it feels like a deeper exploration of where they\u2019ve been scatting and singing all this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTo Know Me\u201d settles back into a plodding piano ballad that expresses a deep truth \u2013 \u201cto know me, you would have to know my friend.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKaleidoscope Jesus\u201d starts off with some dreamy organ sounds (a Moog, maybe?) that revert back to that inner city black soul of the 70s. It\u2019s so tasty, smooth, and infectious. Anyone that remembers Carly Simon, Roberta Flack, or even War or The O\u2019Jays will feel nostalgic and warm all over again listening to these tunes. I think this album maybe teaches us more about Daigle\u2019s musical upbringing than ever before \u2013 or it could just be a reflection of what she and her bandmates have been jamming to these last few years. Either way, it sounds good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cValuable\u201d is like a spiritual or musical gift to the listener, like music therapy. Simply put, \u201cyou\u2019re valuable.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Wounds, family-line stuff, whatever it is, Daigle urges us to remember \u201cIf you feel like you are not valuable, let me tell you, there\u2019s more.\u201d This simple song perhaps describes this artist\u2019s greatest contribution to us \u2013 the audience. While soft and gentle as a lamb, she boldly speaks the truth with the roar and confidence of a lioness. If the mega-hit song \u201cYou Say\u201d put millions of self-effacing hearts back on track, this song will reinforce those comforting thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The title \u201cDon\u2019t Believe Them\u201d sounds like it could be another song that tells us to believe what God says about us and not what the world says. But it\u2019s not that kinda useful therapy-like song. It\u2019s an old-fashioned preachin\u2019 sermon. It starts off with another piano warning: you\u2019re about to cry. But instead of worship, this sound is an exhortation to forgive and listen. The dry, rootsy instrumentation here would feel right at home on an episode of The Chosen<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow ya gonna love someone if you don\u2019t forgive them? I thought Christian rock albums were a thing of the past. While the sonics here are stylistically of the soulful, roots-rock, and pop variety, this is like a mission record. Do you remember those? An album where you\u2019d sit down and actually wonder what this artist or perhaps even God was trying to tell you via song. This is musical edification. Kudos to Daigle and any writing partners she has. These messages are real and they are important. \u201cEgo\u201d finds Daigle preaching to herself: \u201cif ya wanna go high, then ya gotta bow low … I\u2019m done wrestling with my ego.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese Are The Days\u201d seemingly tries to wake us up and look around in our present time. It ends with some tasty horns and a rowing chorus of voices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSalvation Mountain\u201d features the beloved blues guitar man from Austin, Texas, Gary Clark, Jr., who offers some very sweet call and response guitar leads. It plays like an old-time spiritual, complete with choir-like harmonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBack to Me\u201d is the twelfth track and the album only now tilts past the halfway point if you\u2019re counting song titles. However, tracks 15, 18, and 22 are roughly one-minute interludes that segue between tracks. \u201cBack To Me\u201d could serve as a subtle grooving torch song you might hear in a smoky club (if they still have those). \u201c21 Days\u201d carries on in a similar vibe, conveying some longing that would fit perfectly in a romantic movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLove Me Still\u201d is another slow, emotion-evoking song that reaffirms the steadfastness and faithfulness of Jesus the Savior and God the Father. After some feathery and cloud-like \u201cwhooing\u201d from a choir of hummers, \u201cTurbulent Skies\u201d claps and drums in to some male lead vocals. \u201cHis love, his love,\u201d Daigle replies, implying that God\u2019s got this, too. Trouble will come, but we have a hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSometimes\u201d seems to speak faith in the midst of doubt or in the face of just being human. A short piano interlude brings us to \u201cInherited,\u201d which addresses the person with a \u201cheart that\u2019s all tangled up,\u201d but acknowledges where it all came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe\u2019s Never Gonna Change\u201d sounds like a tune from a church service. \u201cBe Okay\u201d is an assurance that \u201ceverything\u2019s gonna be okay.\u201d She hits some Bonnie Raitt high notes in this tune. \u201cEven when your heart is breaking…\u201d The band that comes in later reeks of New Orleans in the best way possible. This is another example of why Daigle has had both her music and <\/em>message cross over. It\u2019s real. It communicates to real people with real problems, and it\u2019s got a backbone of conviction behind it that reveals the hope inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019re All I\u2019ll Take With Me\u201d starts off a little jazzy, showcasing Daigle\u2019s silky voice. When she reaches a moment when she declares that she doesn\u2019t want to be lonely, she projects that voice and a lungful of singing comes flying out. Lyrically, it sounds like a summation of what\u2019s important in this life and how this part will end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This album\u2019s a real treat, showing off great talent, giving off great vibes, emotions, and lyrics with a deep hope. After 74 minutes of tunes, you\u2019ll probably feel closer to the artist musically. For now, returning to track one (\u201cThank God I Do\u201d) is the most soul-touching and endorphin-receiving moment that shines the brightest. Thank God for Lauren Daigle and her musical companions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Lauren Daigle (S\/T) This applauded and awarded songstress has an uncanny ability and track record of singing right through the ribcage of most every audience member, grab ahold of those heartstrings and pull hard. She wisely put \u201cThank God I Do\u201d as track number one on this third and self-titled album. It\u2019s a slow and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":25762,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[4200],"class_list":["post-25739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-lauren-daigle","cat-17-id"],"yoast_head":"\n
How ya gonna hear what they say if you never listen?
How ya gonna stand up when the world wants you near them?
How ya gonna live out the words you\u2019re preaching if you don\u2019t believe them?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n