|
| |
Brian Littrell - Welcome Home
- “The skeptics won’t understand, it’s strange from the world’s point of view,” but prodigal son Brian Littrell has found his way back home. Opening with the affirmation of faith, “My Answer Is You,” Littrell predicts the reaction of outsiders looking in, but finds solace and certainty in God. With a message a world apart from the bouncy, light-mattered pop of the Backstreet, this boy has grown into a man. The tender, rugged edged voice that once catapulted Littrell to teeenie bopper heart-throb status now lifts God’s praises to the heavens.
In one of life’s mysterious twists, we often travel a long way only to find ourselves right back where we started. After sparking media and fan frenzy as a member of the Backstreet Boys, these days, Littrell, a husband and father, retraces his steps back to the joy and spirituality of his childhood: “This has been a dream of mine since I was a little boy singing in church in Lexington, Kentucky.” With his solo debut, “Welcome Home,” Littrell is seeing his dreams come into fruition and hopes to “encourage people to stand up for what they believe.”
With a range of diverse musical sounds, “Welcome Home,” will pleasantly surprise cynics and captivate fans. Not perfect by any means, this album is, however, very well-produced and bursting with genuine sentiment. On the upbeat pop of title track “Welcome Home (You)” and the quiet vocals and simple acoustic of “Gone without Goodbye” the earnest lyrics and heartfelt delivery offer palpable measures of Littrell’s newfound conviction. The R&B of “We Lift You Up” takes flight with a burst of undulating drums and piano key changes that usher in a gospel choir’s mighty proclamation of praise. A single criticism: the song ends too abruptly. The same may be true for the lavishly arranged “Angels and Heroes.” The doo wop and full harmonies of “Jesus Loves You” are reminiscent of the gospel and jazz-influenced a cappella vocal group Take 6, whose producers, Mark Kibble and Dave Thomas, were enlisted for the project. Chosen as the closing track, “Jesus Loves You” accomplishes an impressive sound in the absence of instrumentation and drives home a truth Littrell has known all along, but has finally expressed artistically. From here, it sounds good to be back.
Reviewer: C. Lizaire
new
Reviewer's Rating: 6.5
Reader's Rating: 9.57
Reader's Votes: 7
Added: 7-Jun-2006
Talk to other readers about this story.
|
|
|
|
|
