Album Review: Melissa Simonson - Be A Light
Melissa Simonson - Be A Light
Album Review by: Andrea Guy
Be A Light is Melissa Simonson's debut album. There's something about hearing a voice that is totally pure and without any fancy production. With Melissa Simonson, that's what you get, and it is a beautiful listen.
Melissa has soulful folk sound. You can hear the artists that influenced her heavily in the music on Be A Light. Artists such as Sarah McLachlan, Shawn Colvin, and India Arie are some of her influences, not to mention other notables like Steisand and Fitzgerald. Those ladies may have influenced Melissa, but once you hear her voice, you know that at some point someone is going to say she is her influence.
The song that really shows off her talent is "Mr. Shame." It is a smoky, old-fashioned jazzy song. The song written by Melissa will remind fans of standards, of Irving Berlin's "Mr. Monotony." This song is really Melissa at her absolute best.
But what of the rest of the album? Never fear, the other eleven songs are just as good. The album opens with the inspirational "My Voice." This song is about that inner light that is your special talent. No matter how hard things are, that talent can't be extinguished.
"Dancing" is the next track. This is another song that Melissa shines on. It has a strong Celtic sounding melody. The combination of mandolin and fiddle contribute to that sound. When you add Melissa's voice, you might think that you are listening to Celtic Woman.
With "Changing" Melissa goes for a more folksy sound. Still, Melissa has a strong theatrical voice. Her words are always enunciated well, which doesn't usually fit the folk mold, but Melissa makes that sound work for her.
The presence of Nate Gauger's mandolin adds a distinctive beauty to the songs. The lyrics to "Marry Me" pay tribute to that instrument. The song opens, "Marry me like a mandolin is married to its strings, and I'll marry you for love." That is one of the more uniquely romantic lines from a song that you'll hear.
The mandolin takes center stage on the bluesy "Purple Sky." This is another song that seems to pull the listener back in time, when people played music on their porches and speakeasies were in existence.
"Never ending" is a departure from the folk sound. The percussion, done superbly by Pete Calagro, gives this song an island feel. This song is definitely an unexpected gem.
The sunny feel of "Never ending" is followed by "Winter Song." The melody of this song seems to bring about a chill night breeze. The lyrics even seem to be accompanied by some snowflakes, particularly these lyrics, "‘cause if I listen closely I can hear the earth singing, underneath its bed of white."
"It's Alright" is another inspirational sounding song, that reminds all listening that everyone is the same and we all want the same thing for ourselves.
"Be Here Now," is by far the most pop oriented song on the album. The acoustic guitar takes center stage. This song really encompasses the lives of so many people. When she sings, "My bills are late, I'm underpaid. I’m on my way to work again,
And I can’t seem to find my way out of this." heads will be nodding in agreement. This song feels like the life of everyone, yet it manages to be uplifting, as she finds her way out of it to some brighter spot.
Be A Light is more than twelve songs sung beautifully by Melissa Simonson. This is an album that is timeless. If you listen to these songs thirty years from now, they'll be just as powerful. Melissa's music definitely has staying power, and hopefully she'll bring more to us in the future.
Genre: Folk Pop
Buy: Amazon
Released: Dec 8, 2011
Rating: 9/10
Album Review by: Andrea Guy
Be A Light is Melissa Simonson's debut album. There's something about hearing a voice that is totally pure and without any fancy production. With Melissa Simonson, that's what you get, and it is a beautiful listen.
Melissa has soulful folk sound. You can hear the artists that influenced her heavily in the music on Be A Light. Artists such as Sarah McLachlan, Shawn Colvin, and India Arie are some of her influences, not to mention other notables like Steisand and Fitzgerald. Those ladies may have influenced Melissa, but once you hear her voice, you know that at some point someone is going to say she is her influence.
The song that really shows off her talent is "Mr. Shame." It is a smoky, old-fashioned jazzy song. The song written by Melissa will remind fans of standards, of Irving Berlin's "Mr. Monotony." This song is really Melissa at her absolute best.
But what of the rest of the album? Never fear, the other eleven songs are just as good. The album opens with the inspirational "My Voice." This song is about that inner light that is your special talent. No matter how hard things are, that talent can't be extinguished.
"Dancing" is the next track. This is another song that Melissa shines on. It has a strong Celtic sounding melody. The combination of mandolin and fiddle contribute to that sound. When you add Melissa's voice, you might think that you are listening to Celtic Woman.
With "Changing" Melissa goes for a more folksy sound. Still, Melissa has a strong theatrical voice. Her words are always enunciated well, which doesn't usually fit the folk mold, but Melissa makes that sound work for her.
The presence of Nate Gauger's mandolin adds a distinctive beauty to the songs. The lyrics to "Marry Me" pay tribute to that instrument. The song opens, "Marry me like a mandolin is married to its strings, and I'll marry you for love." That is one of the more uniquely romantic lines from a song that you'll hear.
The mandolin takes center stage on the bluesy "Purple Sky." This is another song that seems to pull the listener back in time, when people played music on their porches and speakeasies were in existence.
"Never ending" is a departure from the folk sound. The percussion, done superbly by Pete Calagro, gives this song an island feel. This song is definitely an unexpected gem.
The sunny feel of "Never ending" is followed by "Winter Song." The melody of this song seems to bring about a chill night breeze. The lyrics even seem to be accompanied by some snowflakes, particularly these lyrics, "‘cause if I listen closely I can hear the earth singing, underneath its bed of white."
"It's Alright" is another inspirational sounding song, that reminds all listening that everyone is the same and we all want the same thing for ourselves.
"Be Here Now," is by far the most pop oriented song on the album. The acoustic guitar takes center stage. This song really encompasses the lives of so many people. When she sings, "My bills are late, I'm underpaid. I’m on my way to work again,
And I can’t seem to find my way out of this." heads will be nodding in agreement. This song feels like the life of everyone, yet it manages to be uplifting, as she finds her way out of it to some brighter spot.
Be A Light is more than twelve songs sung beautifully by Melissa Simonson. This is an album that is timeless. If you listen to these songs thirty years from now, they'll be just as powerful. Melissa's music definitely has staying power, and hopefully she'll bring more to us in the future.
Genre: Folk Pop
Buy: Amazon
Released: Dec 8, 2011
Rating: 9/10