Recently signed to Bluewater music as a staff writer, Kristen Brassel is an equally promising artist in her own right. The title of her debut EP, ‘Love and Lightning’, certainly gives you the feeling that she is someone who likes to draw from her own experiences in order to create an authentic feel to her music. Placing herself firmly in the pop/country bracket, Kristen has a broad scope of influences. Growing up in northern Mississippi, she was in her words ‘spoon-fed’ the likes of Emmylou Harris and Loretta Lynn. She was also influenced by the likes of Michelle Branch and Shania Twain, so you can certainly see where the country/pop influence comes from.Due to release her latest EP ‘Love and Lightening’ in August, I was able to gain early access to her new material. ‘Love and Lightening’, the title track, is a light hearted opener. If you’re a fan of the Kelsea Bellerini no.1 hit, ‘Love Me Like You Mean it’ then I imagine you will like this one. ‘Love and Lightning’ touches a fairly familiar dream of many a person of finding that one true love. With a drum and electric combo intro, it sets the tone for a fairly pop orientated song. The lyrics are playful and feel as if its her that’s talking which in itself is the sign of a songwriter, in a way you could almost imagine her singing the song with a large grin on her face. The opening verse takes you through those happy pure emotions. “But tonight is different, I can’t explain it… it’s got my head spinning, my pulse racing something in the air is stirring”. It then seamlessly breaks in the chorus, “You’re electrifying when you look at me, when you flash that grin I won’t feel the same… I’d love you all my life because love and lightning never strikes twice”.
‘Turn It Up’ is in a similar vein to ‘Love and Lightning’ set against the backdrop of a typical small town lifestyle. “Slipping into the sun didn’t think twice because a love song came on the radio and I could tell where the night will go”, “So come on baby don’t you turn it up”. Vocally she’s very clear, probably more along the lines of Lucy Hale, or Danielle Bradbery’s ‘Dancehall’. The theme is timeless, again this is where Kristen seems to have hit the nail on the head, much like a certain Taylor Swift she is able to write and perform a song which really grabs the hearts of the listeners.
Those who know me well know I love a good ballad, so naturally I was pleased to see a slowing of the pace with ‘Softly With Sin’. The subject matter is certainly interesting; Kristen had written the song based on the experience of a friend who was in a relationship but tempted by the charms of another person. “How did we end up here between a wrong and right, but I can’t do this tonight, because you’ve got her and I’ve got him… so take my hand I might give in, you kiss my lips softly with sin.” The lyricism is certainly a lot better then what I have heard from a few others recently. The ability to grasp complex emotions and situations and interpret them in the way Kristen has is admirable. For me the best song on the EP.
It’s clear at this point in the EP that, family and friends are important to Kristen, and on ‘Rest of Our Life’ she talks about how her parents maintain a deep love for each other to this day, “Every wallet, every picture has a picture of me sunny and smiling at 17”. With more of a country feel, with the banjo and a more acoustic setting the production is taken down a little bit, and this allows Kristen to express herself a bit more.
In her own words ‘How I’ll Remember You’ is probably the most personal song she has written. About her grandfather who has recently passed away, this song took 3 years to write. Again this shows how Kristin is able to take inspiration from a personal experience and also shows she clearly never throws away a piece of paper. “Mississippi moon sings a melody and papa joins in and sings the harmony”. Vocally she is at her best, I can imagine getting some serious feels, if I heard this in the Bluebird or something I would be getting semi-weepy. One of the most touching lines… “When your mama’s going grey and your eyes go blue, we’d sit and talk about the Opry for an hour or two.”
Overall I was immensely impressed by what Kristen Brassel had to offer, if you compare her amongst the new generation of country stars such as Hunter Hayes, Danielle Bradbery, RaeLynn etc she certainly stands out. Although she does not have the powerhouse vocals of Carrie Underwood, her song-writing ability is exceptional; it is little wonder she has been employed as an in house writer for her publishing house.
With the charm and ability to connect with others and also emotionally project her own experiences, I am certainly interested to see how that translates into live performance. It’s difficult for me to predict how much of an impact it will have in terms of sales and airplay, but having performed at prestigious venues across Nashville, I can see Kristen Brassel taking the route of a certain Ashley Monroe, quietly building a reputation and buzz for song-writing and becoming a must see on the local circuit, then seizing her chance. Although Kristen may not gain immediate stardom, she is certainly worth listening to and perhaps the ultimate judgement will come should she produce a full record.
So yeah I approve, go buy it.
Originally posted here.
