Album Review

Since I can ever remember I have been madly in love with the singer-songwriter genre – James Taylor, Carole King, Jim Croce and the like. It’s the kind of music that seeps into your very soul and causes you to feel every single note in your body. It is what I imagine it would sound like if we could hear the sound of the sun breaking through the clouds on a rainy autumn day. Forgive me if I wax poetic, but that’s what this kind of stuff does to me.

By stuff I mean, Brendan James and his debut album, The Day is Brave. Capturing the essence of the genre’s titans of yesteryear, Brendan is a triple threat – a spot on vocalist, pianist, and a heart wrenching songwriter. I first heard “Green,” the album’s first track on the radio last spring. The melody and strings are phenomenal and the lyrics immediately grabbed me: “Zeppelin never left her, never died or second-guessed her.” Aside from the lyrics the melody is lush and beautiful.

Another highlight is “The Other Side.” Anyone who ever survived grade school bullying, or any of the trials of childhood, will find an anthem in this song. It celebrates reaching the other side of life, where you can look back and be thankful for all the things in your past that brought you to where your are today. A sick gospel groove only adds to the incredible vocals of this soulful tribute to adulthood.

Though all the tunes off The Day is Brave struck me, “Hero’s Song” simply broke my heart. A tune about the war told from the perspective of a soldier, it has grown a huge following among servicemen and women in Iraq and has been used in several documentaries about the conflict. Without question, it’s one of the most sincere and heartfelt songs written about the current war to date.

Brendan James went form being Urban Outfitters cashier in a Manhattan to being discovered by Carly Simon and now touring the country sponsored by MTV. If you are fan of music that is truly art and poetry, then you will love Brendan James. His distinctive tenor and poetic skills definitely sets him apart from the pack.

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