The album opens with the track "Hot Metal" and offers a great blend of folk acoustic guitar, alternative electric guitar, piano and fantastic harmonies. The lyrics explore a regretful conversation, hurtful words exchanged, and the pain that's left afterward. It's an extremely solid opening number that really sets the mood for what's to come -- though the album doesn't reach this tempo again. From here, the album takes on a much more somber and melancholy sound musically and a lot of the content explores grief, hurt, and pain. "Golden" goes away from this message a bit and turns to the subject of love. It's a beautiful song and features a really great guest vocal appearance. The strange part about the recording is that the main acoustic riff only plays on the right side when listening in stereo. The vocals come through both sides, as well as the backing instrumentation. Another song of note is the highly dynamic "Scared Again." The verses are mid-temp acoustic with some drums and strings, but the chorus builds to a much bigger and stronger sound. "Pray You Find God" is the most spiritual song on the album, but talks more about struggles with belief and the misnomers of "religion." However, the last verse finds him truly discovering God. The album closes with "On the Mend," which seems like a fitting closer, given the amount of hurt and pain covered lyrically. Bulger closes by repeatedly singing, "Everything; everything breathes again. Everything; everything on the mend."
Nine of Ten is a deep dive and undoubtedly covers a lot of ground in painful themes, but it's an honest look on life events. The album is beautifully constructed, and the musical backdrop is stunning. The main acoustic guitar is pretty steady, but the other instrumental elements add so much to each song. The entire album is a bit of a slow burn to make it through its 45-minute run time, but the experience is rewarding. "Hot Metal" is a track that almost everyone can relate to; "Golden" is a pretty love song; and "Scared Again" is an undeniably dynamic listen. All of these are great starting places if you're looking for a jumping off point. I do want to mention the mild profanity found in "Blood" as Bulger exclaims, "The whole d*mn world is fine" on three separate occasions. In the end, Brian Bulger has released a stellar record that I look forward to listening to and discovering more into the future.
- Review date: 5/5/19, written by Michael Weaver of Jesusfreakhideout.com
Record Label: None
Metalcore Newcomers Heal the Hurt Launch with Crushing Debut Single, "Withering" Thu, 25 Apr 2024 00:10:00 EST |
TimFM has a new Morning show in Bethany, MO, and Lincoln, NE Wed, 24 Apr 2024 15:10:00 EST |
Gospel Legend Vanessa Bell Armstrong Readies for 1st Album in Over a Decade Wed, 24 Apr 2024 15:00:00 EST |
Elevation Nights '24 With Elevation Worship And Pastor Steven Furtick Returns This Fall Wed, 24 Apr 2024 11:10:00 EST |
Freedom Heart Releases "Dreaming with You" to Christian Radio Wed, 24 Apr 2024 10:50:00 EST |
Eric Cohen Releases "L O V E" to Christian Hip-Hop Radio Tue, 23 Apr 2024 16:10:00 EST |
Linda Boles Releases "The Missionary" to Christian Radio Tue, 23 Apr 2024 16:00:00 EST |
DAD TIRED FOUNDER JERRAD LOPES EXPANDS POPULAR MINISTRY WITH DEBUT CHILDREN’S TITLE Wed, 10 Apr 2024 17:07:46 +0000 |
“Anything Goes” by Andrew Kerhoulas of Brother K Thu, 04 Apr 2024 02:54:00 +0000 |
Demi-Leigh Tebow to release debut book this August Mon, 18 Mar 2024 21:20:38 +0000 |