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Posted May 18, 2010
By LauraCC,
Lara Landon. She’s not the latest of Superman’s double one-name flames. (No kidding;
we wouldn’t be talking about her.) Instead, the name belongs to a young woman whose
debut CD, Beloved, is beautiful and inspiring. It’s almost as though you walked into
Lara’s heart and found an art gallery there. The emotions in these songs range from
cheerful to lonely to heartfelt.
She’s been compared to Plumb, Tori Amos, and Imogen Heap, but my Canadian ears
detected a little Celine Dion first in “Let It Go”. There’s also a moment of Francesca
Battistelli (“Closer”) and even some of the sound of whoever did the theme song from
Dawson’s Creek (“Presence of Love”). “I Believe” made me think of Elton John’s
“Rocketman” verse melody-wise.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of Landon’s album is the unbridled honesty with which
she speaks about her fears, doubts, and insecurities. Her lyrical boldness would be very
refreshing in the mainstream market; in the Christian music sphere, it’s more common.
But it’s there that the words and music themselves take over.
“For The First Time” is an infectious, encounter-with-God, “Aha!” moment. When you
finally realize, “So that’s what it’s all about!” The neat thing was the rising effect in the
verse’s melody; you got the sense that the singer’s emotions are rising too.
“Closer” has the atmosphere of a movie credits track. When you realize how far you’ve
come, you also see how far you still have to go in your relationship with God. But rather
than being discouraged, this retrospective should actually push us forward.
For deep reassuring moments, there’s “Heart Of My Heart”, a song that speaks to us of
God’s love and the close relationship He wants us to share with Him. We have been
adopted as members of His family.
In the lovely, worshipful “For You Lord”, Lara asks if she can offer singing as her gift to
God. It may be an anthem for many budding musicians who want to use their gifts for
God’s glory. But it also reminds us of why we’d want to do so (And in the dark you heal
me/Rejoice over me with singing/No, I'm not alone in my suffering)
Perhaps one of the most endearing features of this album is the way Lara’s voice so
often seems to eclipse the background music. Because indeed, if the richness she brings
to Beloved were wasted on loud, blaring tracks about sex and dating, it’d lose its impact.
Beloved is one album that will certainly live up to its name. Given Lara’s powerful
vocals, beautiful, honest lyrics, and melodies which range from breathtaking to haunting,
there is absolutely no way she will fly under the radar. View All Music And Book Reviews By LauraCC | View LauraCC's Profile
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