LEAH - Of Earth & Angels
CD Info
2012
Independent
12 Tracks
Lyrics in English and Latin
Where do I even begin to start to speak about Leah? Even for only a debut this woman has blown me away and is worthy of any audience she crosses. I have to say as a singer and song writer myself I am a little envious and hope to one day meet this height of musical perfection. Leah is a home schooling mom, author, jack-of-all-trades whom hails from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Her song writing is soulful and honest as her voice shape shifts from ethereally folk to a belting rock howl. She claims to take influence from Nightwish, Enya, and Loreena McKennitt and from this trinity she blends their aspects well to grasp her own unique sound on “Of Earth & Angels”. Please let me continue to gush and brag about this woman and her release:
“Prisoner” is a great intro track as it has a spooky clock tick meets guitar lead introduction that bursts into a rock song about being trapped in your thoughts and how they can bring you to bliss or absolutely destroy you. The orchestral parts are the ear candy and it rocks hard with a synth choir. Leah’s backing vocals really shine in this track as they stand out and give it is vibe. The track is also very upbeat that makes you want to stomp your feet. “Remember” is single worthy and mysterious lyrically which can be left to open concept on the listener’s part. Leah shines on her ability to belt and then suddenly sing soft and soulfully, just like the entire song as it goes from soft choirs of herself in the verses to a full blown rock piece in the choruses. It’s a nice contrast. You can hear the pain in her voice as to whatever tragic events occurred in this story. The musical height of this song is the ending that includes spooky studio spliced backing vocals as she sings softly “I’m reaching so deep, I cannot breathe”. Watch out Nightwish!! “Old World’ is a fun tune that could easily be placed of a scene of The Shire in the Lord of The Rings stories. The lyrics play on fantasy and it’s so upbeat and folky it could compete with The Coors and The Cranberries. The added flute is a nice touch while the tune stays symphonic rock and fuses nicely with folk. It also has a rocking guitar solo on the bridge where after Leah shines on her abilities to tackle folky vocal trills. “I Fade” deviates from the path we’ve heard so far while it is very simple and includes a string quartet accompanied by a sitar. The Middle Eastern influence especially comes in when the male vocals hit at the end. Very interesting, unique, and brave! The next song is “Ex Cathedra” which is a refreshing atmosphere. The lyrics start out in Latin which translates to “An army of angels descends from heaven to slay the minions of evil!". It’s heavy in its slow guitar chugs and the added folk harp is a really nice touch. Again it is almost cinematic and could go along with the movie “Mists of Avalon”. The next two tracks are my absolute favorite! “Ocean” is a slow ballad as Leah sings to the ocean for calling her name. The lyrics “Once in a life time you’re lucky if you find love” have put me into tears several times. There is something about how she sings it. She comes across as sad for losing her love, but also happy at the same time that she had ever even experienced it. It’s such a beautiful and powerful tune. “A Thousand Years” is a very spiritual track where again the lyrics are left to open concept. Very beautifully done ballad that longs for security in another being, what or whomever that being may be. You have to love the use of fairy like synth sounds that create a mood of fantasy all while accompanied by the piano. Then we go into an acoustic guitar driven song “Tragedy and Magic” which displays Leah’s ability to sing folky and earthy tones. The song is well written with very haunting lyrics and imagery. “Mainland” is by far the best track on the album. I recommend this listen to anyone interested in Leah! It covers all aspects of her sound and is by far the catchiest and most memorable track. It makes you want to clap your hands and dance, or totally rock out and head bang. The album ends with “Say Yes” another catchy tune, “Confess My Love” where love becomes a battle field, and a simple ethereal track “Illusion”. It’s a good flow that smoothly ends out this album.
There is no doubt that with this debut Leah knows who she is, what her sound is, and where she wants to go as a mastermind creationist. This is one artist that should be kept under the radar for whatever she is going to do and/or release next. Describing her sound would be like saying: “Enya meets Nighwish that includes everything we loved about Evanescence when Ben Moody was in the band”. Stand out tracks are “Mainland”, “Remember”, and “A Thousand Years”.
10 / 10
http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/of-earth-angels/id524834071
