Here's the fifth and final part of my five part series on reviewing the Best Album category for the Grammy's.This is a straight through review of each track, and then an overall conclusion on the album. So with that, lets begin. Following the review of each track, a mark will appear within ( ), a check-mark "✔" meaning a great track, an "O" meaning an okay track or track that could have been great with a few adjustments, or an "X", meaning a miss. (All rights to any video of the mentioned songs is copyright of Sara Bareilles and Epic).
1) "Brave"
It starts out with a nice drum intro. A big chorus follows. The lyrics are really spot on here, such as "one of these days you can let the light in.........let your words be anything but empty". A big intro to "Blessed Unrest" with the top single. This is an anthem on being yourself, whether its about the LGBT community or otherwise. A song that many can relate to. (✔)
2) "Chasing the Sun"
The intro helps the song really get to the point. There are a lot of powerful lyrics here; "life is not meant to be wasted, we can always be chasing the sun", "my earth is somebody's ceiling". Anthem-like instrumentals are used, giving it a ballad/anthem feel. It has a breakdown, and then builds back up. There's great imagery here. The lyrics just flow naturally. The message of chasing your dream rings true. (✔)
3) "Hercules"
This has a different feel to it. There are some strong lyrics here; "I was meant to be a warrior, please. Make me a hercules", "I'm on the hunt for what I've not yet become". It takes time to settle in, but it finds its pace. There's a cool breakdown with the vocals in the background. This really is a unique track. It eventually finds itself (meaning getting used to the feel), but its a breath of fresh air from most pop songs. On a sidenote, this would have worked well on the soundtrack to Disney's Hercules or Mulan. (✔)
4) "Manhattan"
It starts off with a slow piano intro with a laid back feel. This track has a jazz quality to it. There are some powerful lyrics here; "how about a place to save you some space for somebody new.....you can have Manhattan because I can't have you". A very mellow yet serious track of moving on from a love. The steady use of piano throughout really works, as Bareilles' vocals are flawless. (✔)
5) "Satellite Call"
A steady drum intro starts off, followed by piano. Some meaningful lyrics include; "you may find yourself lost somewhere in the great big beautiful sky". There's too much going on in the background, taking the focus away from the lyrics. Overall, a beautiful sounding track, but it just feels a little scattered at times with too much happening. (O)
6) "Little Black Dress"
It starts off with a steady intro. Some powerful lyrics here are; "I'm finally alone dressed for the show, but going nowhere", "I'm going to dance until you're all gone". This is a fun break-up song. It has that Taylor Swift feel to it, but its not really a telling off. It doesn't delve too deep into the specific relationship, making it work. (✔)
7) "Cassiopeia"
It has a "Satellite Call" - like intro. The lyrics really tell a story. However, this track is the first real miss. The vocals are fine, there's just not much there overall. (X)
8) "1000 Times"
It has a laid back feel. The way Bareilles sings "I will come back 1000 times" just shows the beauty in her voice. There's a key change as it builds. This is a big vocal track. The instrumentals really blend in nicely. Bareilles is flawless here. (✔)
9) "I Choose You"
It starts off with a fast intro. Some powerful lyrics here are; "tell the world we finally got it alright", "this is a beautiful start to a life long love letter". There's a good use of falsetto/upper register in the vocals. This is a nice, fun love song. Simple instrumentals (strings) let Bareilles' vocals shine. (✔)
10) "Eden"
It has a rock-feel in the intro. The biblical messages here really put a focus on the lyrics; "I used to live in Eden, rolled a lucky pair of dice, ended up in paradise, landed on a snake's eyes, took a bite and ended up bleeding", "all these angels started acting the same". This is a brilliant track. The imagery in the lyrics really explains her view of how paradise changed. ( ✔)
11) "Islands"
It has a serious sounding intro. A lyric that stood out to me was; "like I'm standing on the edge of just a telephone wire". The instrumentals don't really compliment the vocals. A similar sounding message of "Eden" of escape, however the vocals seem to fall flat from a lack of strong instrumentals. (X)
12) "December"
It starts off with a slow intro. Some powerful lyrics are; "December you've always been a problem child....I remember when you used to be mine", "to get yourself a new life you have to give the other one away". A fairly solid track with moving lyrics, its just missing that extra factor. (O)
(✔) = 67%
(O) = 17%
(X) = 17%
"Blessed Unrest" is a really solid album from Sara Bareilles. From Brave, to Chasing the Sun and Eden, each track has a powerful message to convey. With so few misses, this is an album that can be listened to easily from start to finish. Bareilles' vocals are at their best here, and the use of pianos, drum and strings throughout really compliment her. A solid album that deserves Grammy recognition.
"The Heist" - 134
"Blessed Unrest" - 134
"Good kid, M.A.A.D City" - 124
"Random Access Memories" - 108
"Red" - 63
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