#4: How Can It Be-Lauren Daigle
***For those who love R&B, Adult Contemporary, Pop, and Worship***
Released during the spring of ’15, Lauren Daigle’s debut album dominated Christian airwaves and even caught the attention of mainstream listeners.
What impresses me the most about this LP is its mellifluent sound. One of my personal favorites “Trust in You” is-as the popular website BreatheCast puts it-full of “R&B swag,”. Daigle’s powerful vocals on “Come Alive (Dry Bones)” will soothe your mind as its catchy chorus will be stuck in your head. “Here’s My Heart” is a R&B rendition of the Passion Worship Band’s song, and because it effectively keeps its original reverence while donning a mainstream sound, it is an album highlight. Without a doubt, this album is sonically pleasing because of Daigle’s vocals. Daigle shines on the R&B cuts, the adult contemporary selections (“My Revival”, “Salt & Light”, & “How Can It Be”, to name a few), and the pop tracks (“First”, “O’ Lord”, & “Loyal”, to name a few); her voice is beautifully and memorably versatile.
Lyrically, Lauren Daigle’s ‘How Can It Be’ can appeal to devout worshippers and mainstream listeners alike. It is a challenge to translate Biblical wisdom/theology into modern dialect-a challenge most worship songs fail to overcome-, but Daigle’s lyrics demonstrate she has mastered the art of translation. The second verse and chorus of “I am Yours” speaks to her mastery: “Now I am sure of this I’m Yours/No power is strong enough/To separate me from Your Love, I’m Yours/So let the waters rise, I will stand as the oceans roar/Let the earth shake beneath me, Let the mountains fall/You are God over the storm/and I am Yours”. All of this is a paraphrase of Romans 8:38-39 and Psalm 46:1-3, but without prior Biblical knowledge, I believe one would not be able to recognize this song’s Scripture! Not only do Daigle’s lyrics appeal to Christians without being overtly religious, but they also can resonate with casual mainstream listeners. Daigle describes her view of God’s love in “Loyal”, but a mainstream listener could easily suppose the lyrics are about a significant other. As a result, I believe anyone can find song lyrics to they can love on Daigle’s
debut album “How It Can Be”.
Every rose has a thorn, and this LP is no exception. Although the album excels sonically, the songs can suffer from sounding the same at times. I mix up the choruses of “Power to Redeem” and “O’ Lord” frequently, and “Here’s my Heart” has an undeniably similar kick/clap beat to that of “Trust in You”. Moreover, not all twelve songs wow’d me. “First”, “How Can It Be”, “Here’s My Heart”, “Loyal”, & “Trust in You” are incredible, but the rest of the LP pales in comparison. With this in mind, “How Can It Be” drops to #4 on my top 5 of 2015 list.
All in all, Daigle’s debut album is a magnificent mix of soulful, inspirational jams that both Christians and non-believers can enjoy, but its similar sounding songs and lack of “wow” tracks keep it from being a perfect album.
Cop the Full Album via iTunes: https://itun.es/us/hS_55