Album Review
Rehya Stevens unwraps holiday magic with ‘Santa’s Takin’ Over The Town’
Rehya Stevens, an award-winning artist, has released a new Christmas album titled “Santa’s Takin’ Over The Town,” by Northern California producer Brian Steckler. The album features ten original songs that capture the essence of Christmas past and present, taking listeners on a musical journey through the diverse emotions that the season brings.
The album opens with the upbeat ‘Christmas is Near,’ followed by the mischievous ‘Don’t Be Late’ and the high-energy rockabilly vibes of the title track ‘Santa’s Takin’ Over The Town.’ However, the album also explores the bittersweet side of the season with ‘Early Winter,’ which delivers a poignant reminder of the melancholy that often accompanies the holidays.
The album also includes ‘Christmas Is Comin’ Again,’ which offers a stroll through the simple pleasures of the holidays, and ‘Me, Myself & I,’ which adds a touch of bluesy realism, depicting the lonelier side of Christmas. ‘Welcome One & All’ provides a spiritual moment, urging listeners to embrace compassion and widen the welcome table.
The album concludes with the uplifting ‘Spread A Little Love For Christmas,’ a rhythmic, island-infused track that encapsulates the spirit of the entire collection. The standalone single ‘Wonderful World Tonight’ is a festive anthem, capturing the essence of youthful holiday revelry.
Rehya Stevens aims to create lasting moments of joy with this album, infusing people with great fun, compassion, and appreciation for every person at the holiday dinner table, year after year. “Santa’s Takin’ Over The Town” celebrates the human experience, a musical journey that embraces the highs, lows, and everything in-between.
Connect with Rehya Stevens: Instagram
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Review of Pam Ross’ “When Therapy Fails” LP
Album Review
Belle Lundon Gets Emotional and Existential on “Space Cadet”
Belle Lundon is a multifaceted artist excelling in music, acting, and songwriting. Raised in New Orleans and now based in Houston, her artistic journey blossomed at the California Institute of the Arts. In 2016, Belle won a Coca-Cola music competition, leading to a performance at the Apollo Theater in New York where she captivated audiences with “He Wants It All” by Forever Jones. Beyond covers, Belle’s original song “My Soul to Keep” earned her the W.A.M. Award for Best Gospel Song in 2020. Belle’s passion lies in sharing her music globally, with dreams of embarking on international tours, always striving for authenticity, success, and happiness in her artistry.
Her latest single, “Space Cadet” captures the internal struggle of feeling overwhelmed and seeking redemption and support. It conveys a narrative of personal turmoil, mistakes, and the human desire for a sense of upliftment and understanding. The recurring motif of drowning and being lifted up symbolizes the search for hope and assistance in times of despair.
The lyrics delve into themes of vulnerability, redemption, and the human condition. The repeated lines “Feels like I’m drowning, grab my hands and lift me up” suggest a plea for help and connection, emphasizing the universal need for support and understanding. The contrast between “giving up” and “not giving up” reflects the internal conflict between resignation and resilience. The mention of “Subliminal like haiku” indicates a nuanced and profound communication of feelings, akin to the brevity and depth of haiku poetry. The invocation of “Chrios” could symbolize a call to a higher power or inner strength, adding a spiritual dimension to the song’s exploration of seeking guidance and clarity.
For further thematic exploration, artists like Sufjan Stevens, with his introspective and often spiritual lyrics, and Florence + The Machine, known for their poetic and metaphysical themes, would resonate with the mood and style of “Space Cadet.”
“Space Cadet” seems to be a richly textured song that weaves together themes of struggle and resilience with a musical backdrop that spans pop, R&B, and electronic genres, infused with elements of dream pop and synth-pop. The song’s narrative centers on the journey through hardship, underlined by an emotional plea for support and the hope for a brighter, more euphoric future. Its lyrics reflect a deep sense of being overwhelmed yet underscore a strong will to persevere and overcome, making it a poignant anthem for those facing their own battles.
The combination of hopeful, resilient, and determined moods with the thematic focus on struggle, resilience, and support creates a compelling contrast against the relaxed, dreamy, and ethereal tones provided by the music’s instrumentation. The use of synth, drums, guitar, and piano, alongside the subgenres like chillwave and lo-fi, suggests a sound that is both introspective and uplifting, capable of transporting the listener to a state of contemplation and solace.
This duality between the song’s thematic depth and its sonic atmosphere might be what Belle Lundon aims to convey: a message that even in the depths of adversity, there is a space for dreaming, hope, and finding support, whether through personal connections or the universal experience of music. “Space Cadet” appears to be an invitation to acknowledge our vulnerabilities and struggles but also to remember the strength and resilience within us that helps to navigate through tough times.
–James Watkins