Brant Westran (http://www.bshanrecords.com) is the latest in a long - and getting longer - line of sensitive male singer/songwriters. However, relax: Westran is better than most of them or otherwise he wouldn't be reviewed here.
What separates Westran from the pack? Some of it has to do with his guitar playing, which isn't just the generic acoustic strumming that is heard too often these days. There's a soulful quality (hence the album title) to Westran's playing that stirs the emotions.
The record is incredibly mellow - about as soft as any James Taylor easy-listening full-length - but the feelings within can be quite heavy. For example, on the moving "When I See You Again," Westran sings of profound regret over a friend's death. "Yesterday I tried to save your life, but I couldn't," Westran laments in the opening lines, pulling us in to the song's sorrow-stricken narrative right away. However, the lyrics are optimistic as well as Westran has accepted his loved one's passing and is looking forward to their reunion in Heaven.
|
This is a record that slowly grows on you. Since the tunes are so slow and quiet, it takes time to kick in. The songs with the most attention-grabbing lyrics - "When I See You Again," the bitter cheated-on tune "I Don't Know You" - sink in quickly, making you interested in giving the rest a chance.
Yes, it's a glutted market, but make room for Westran.
|
