Friday, December 6, 2013

Album Review: "The Blessed Unrest" by Sara Bareilles

Welcome to a new CDS Music Chart Review! Today I am reviewing "The Blessed Unrest" by Sara Bareilles. The album was released on July 12th, 2013. It opened at #2 on the Billboard 200 with sales exceeding 68,000 copies. That is about 20,000 copies less than her previous full length release, but up 35,000 copies from her most recent EP. It was preceded by the release of the album's 1st official single, "Brave", which peaked at #26 on Billboard's Hot 100 and #29 on CDS Music Chart's Top 50 (though it is still rising on both charts). The album's 2nd official single, "I Choose You", failed to reach any chart worldwide (though it wasn't promoted). There are 4 versions of the album, but the most common version contains 12 tracks. The standard and deluxe edition covers are the same and are the same as the pictured cover (minus Sara's signature). The 16 track edition was released as an exclusive to Target stores across the United States. As of now there are no current plans to release a 3rd official song from the album as a single.

1. "Brave" Sara Bareilles, Mark Endert, Jack Antonoff
Easily the best song on the album. It's simple, catchy, radio friendly and is a classic Sara track. To be honest it is better than "Roar" by Katy Perry which topped charts worldwide while be slammed by critics as a copy of this song. Dr. Luke said that "Roar" was written and recorded before "Brave" came out. While this might be true, "Brave" was written and recorded in 2011. It was released in April 2013, less than a month after "Roar" was recorded. Also, Sara spoke about the fact that she "knew" about "Roar" before it came out. That seems just a little fishy (Why would she know about it? Aren't these things supposed to be under wraps?). Sara's vocals on this particular song are way above those of an average pop singer. A standout and possibly better than her breakout hit "Love Song".

2. "Chasing the Sun" Sara Bareilles, Mark Endert
A piano driven anthem about never giving up and the singer's move from Los Angeles to New York. Again the singer amazes us with strong and powerful vocals. The songs has many different levels and components that fit well together for a single, smooth slice of pop perfection. A stellar song that is single worthy.

3. "Hercules" Sara Bareilles, John O'Mahony, Kurt Uenala
Eh... the powerhouse voice starts to die down in the mid-tempo "Hercules". It seems a little bit forced but still out of the box and fresh. Like the previous song, there are levels to the song but they don't fit quite as well. Somewhat of a disappointment.

4. "Manhattan" Sara Bareilles, John O'Mahony
This ballad is soft, touching and scorching. It brings a whole other side to Bareilles. It feels like an Adele inspired piece that is pure and just perfectly strung together. A skyscraper power and raw emotion that shines and brings the album together.

5. "Satellite Call" Sara Bareilles, John O'Mahony, Kurt Uenala
The opposite of "Manhattan". Too soft. With the piano and drums at a high volume, her voice is hard to make out and it seems very ghost like. It seems like a wasted spot on the album, and seems to drag on forever. Not good. Skip.

6. "Little Black Dress" Sara Bareilles, John O'Mahony
A 'little' repetitive, yet promising and an interesting up-tempo pop production that improves on the previous song. A throwback to the 20th century in terms of the backing instrumentals. Sara proves that she does have many different styles up her sleeve. Unexpected and graceful.

7. "Cassiopeia" Sara Bareilles, John O'Mahony, Kurt Uenala
Like a futuristic story telling of constellations as though they are humans. It seems like a weird concept but it works on this track. Out of the box, ailen-ish and fresh. Strong vocals appear yet again. Miss-titled.

8. "1000 Times" Sara Bareilles, John O'Mahony
A touching romance story that has some clear Taylor Swift influences in the composition. Different than the other ballads included on the album. Sara just lets her heart gush out all the pain and sorrow she has stored up. The bridge doesn't fit (only complaint).

9. "I Choose You" Sara Bareilles, Mark Endert, Jason Blynn, Pete Harper
A perfect wedding anthem. Stomp-claps and soft romantic vocals over a building instrumental dominate this sweet track. It ends on a high note with the title wrapping the story and instrumentals coming to a soft halt.

10. "Eden" Sara Bareilles, John O'Mahony, Kurt Uenala, Matt Hales
Okay seriously. Not her style. Some strange vocals but a synth-ful pop track that builds with different styles. A little bit weird but an interesting attempt. But come on 3 songs relating to greek mythology? That is just a little bit too much. At least one of the three shouldn't have made the final track list ("Cassiopeia"). A grower.

11. "Islands"  Sara Bareilles, John O'Mahony, Kurt Uenala, Matt Hales
Like the slightly better sister of "Satellite Call". A piano is consistent throughout, while the vocals seem slightly too soft for the volume of the backing.

12. "December" Sara Bareilles, John O'Mahony, Kurt Uenala
And we come to the final track on the album. Perfect for the month I am reviewing in (haha...I planned that). While it shows emotion and an inside look into Sara's life and thoughts, it seems like a watered-down of Taylor Swift's "Back to December". It also ventures past the 5 minute mark. 1 or 2 minutes chopped off would really help the song.

Overall Thoughts & Views
Strong Tracks: "Brave", "I Choose You", "Chasing the Sun" and "Little Black Dress"
Weak Tracks: "Islands", "Satellite Call",  and "December"
Thoughts: Damn Sara! You got some serious vocal talent! You improved that from your last release. The back end of the album needed more support (it felt weaker). Don't bunch all your best songs together. Use a variety of themes not just GREEK stuff. Continue working with the same producers, they have it pretty much nailed.

Rating: 7/10 (C-)

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