Rachel Platten
Waves
Sony
Rachel Platten, who burst into the music scene in 2015 with the inspirational megahit Fight Song, broadens her musical stylings in Waves.
Her major label debut album Wildfire was chock-full of songs with positive, uplifting vibes such as Stand By You, Beating Me Up and of course, Fight Song, it was hard to imagine Platten ever breaking out of that mould.
The lead single off her sophomore release, Broken Glass, continues on in this tradition, empowering listeners to smash through the glass ceiling placed above them. It’s hard not to feel inspired as Platten brings so much energy and vigour to the track.
But the rest of the album sees the singer-songwriter discussing about love and relationships, from the heady feeling of falling in love in Shivers to doing away with the need to define a relationship in Labels and the pains of a messy break-up in Loose Ends.
Elsewhere, Platten pens a moving tribute to the people in her life that has contributed to her success in Hands. She writes beautifully about the blood, sweat and tears poured out by her loved ones for her.
Meanwhile, the usually tough, unfaltering Platten admits her vulnerabilities and failings in Grace. It is a cathartic experience listening to it, like letting out the tears we’ve held back for far too long.
There’s certainly nothing wrong with the Platten changing lanes. It’s just that the new material just isn’t as catchy, with the exception of the finger-snapping Perfect For You.
Waves, unfortunately, doesn’t quite meet the sing-along quality listeners have come to expect after Fight Song.
