Album Review: The Blessed Unrest by Sara Bareilles

The Blessed Unrest by Sara Bareilles 

Record Label: Epic Records

Genre: Pop

Release Date: July 12, 2013

Songs: 13
 

Sara Bareilles is an American musician, singer-songwriter and pianist. She has been releasing music since 2002 and has released four albums-Careful Confessions, Little Voice, Kaleidoscope Heart, and The Blessed Unrest.

Sara Bareilles has come a long way from her hit, Love Song.  Since then, I think that everyone has succumbed to her beautiful voice and songs about love–broken and new ones. I, for one, have always turned to her when in the need for something poppy and uplifting. But after listening to this album I’m a little angry with it and definitely disappointed.

I don’t mind when artists like to dabble into different things especially with the world of music constantly changing but I hate it when they go full-out in a direction that just doesn’t complement their sound. Brave and Eden are examples of this with the use of techno beats that for one, distracted me from the song and two, didn’t go well with the song (mostly for Eden). Satellite Calls is a slow song that also includes echoed vocals to make it unbearable. Some of these songs are all over the place with only the piano keeping things barely coherent.

The piano is still heavily woven into each and every song that Bareilles creates. They still have that sweet rhythmic tune that so many love her for. Manhattan is sweet and gentle with lyrics about going back to a place. I love it when songs include different types of instruments especially with Little Black Dress because it has a cool saxophone part that adds to an already fun and poppy song. It can easily be the second part to her other song, King of Anything. 

The Blessed Unrest isn’t all bad by any means. The vocals are a lot stronger this time around and there is a bigger variety of notes that catches listeners attentions. Bareilles still sings about heartbreak and being your own person even if it hurts to be alone, I just found this one lacking and poorly executed where she adds in a new twist to her sound. Still, I recommend this album to people who don’t mind all those techno beats and will forever love Sara Bareilles no matter what. But be sure to check out Manhattan, Little Black Dress, and I Choose You before listening to anything else.

Two Boring Treble Clefs

Songs on the Album (Click on the title to listen to the song!)

1. Brave-3:41

2. Chasing the Sun-4:27

3. Hercules-4:24

4. Manhattan-4:38

5. Satellite Calls-4:52

6. Little Black Dress-3:35

7. Cassiopeia-3:34

8. 1000 Times-4:30

9. I Choose You-3:39

10. Eden-4:06

11. Islands-4:21

12. December-5:01

13. I Wanna Be like Me