Twelve songs on the theme of hearts breaking and healing while, through it all, the singer urges herself, and by extension us, to keep on believing, never giving up.
She is sustained by faith in the power of love and the benevolence of God. Her life is, in the words of Leaning On The Everlasting Arms, "safe and secure from all alarm".
All this relentless sweetness and light is a musical equivalent of a soundtrack to a Church funded personal growth group complete with optional extras like "whispering butterflies" (Be Still) and promoted by motivational aphorisms like "set your sail and let the strongest wind blow" (Crazy Beautiful).
The objective is to live "crazy, wild and free"(Wing Walker) which bizarrely includes getting the hots for a man playing a banjo in a "down and dirty" manner (Baby's Got A Banjo).
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In this idealized universe, attempts at profound words of wisdom fall flat. The Fire is a clunkily elaborate metaphor to illustrate that "we're all part of the fire - in the end some are heroes, some are not".
Tia McGraff is from Canada and all the songs here were co-written and produced by Tommy Parnam. The album was recorded in Austin TX, Nashville TN and Southern Ontario and came out stateside in Spring 2015.
This belated UK release is presumably intended to extend her market base but will do so only among customers who buy into the airbrushed world view she is selling.
Tia McGraff's website
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