I don't usually write album reviews, but that might need to change, and this is a good place to start. Here is my review for Bradley Hathaway's new album How Long, which will be released on November 5th.
You can pre-order the album (and hear a great song from it!) here: http://bradleyhathaway.bandcamp.com/
Since Bradley is an unsigned, independent artist, any and all support will mean the world to him, I'm sure. This is one of the most genuine and loving human souls I've ever met, and if you enjoy his music, please support his means to continue making it.
Okay, here's my review!
lovelovelove
Adam
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Bradley Hathaway – How Long
Yesterday was the last day of my life as a twenty-three
year-old, and it was also the day I received an email from one of my favorite
musical artists, Bradley Hathaway. You see, I backed a project of his on
Kickstarter a couple of years ago, and the album has still yet to be released,
officially. This email was an apology for the wait, but also a link to download
a digital version of the album before the release date (as well as a few more
apologies, because he’s such a sweet man). The album is titled How Long, and
yes, the joke has been made countless times since he revealed the title about
“how long” it took him to put out the album. It still makes me smile.
I’ve been a huge fan of Bradley’s work for many years. I
learned about his output between the release of his first album of spoken-word poetry (All
The Hits So Far) and his first album of music (The Thing That Poets Write
About, The Thing That Singers Sing About). I saw an incredible live performance
at Cornerstone Festival 2008 in Illinois, where he played his new record, A
Mouth Full of Dust, in its entirety. It was then that I was branded by and fell in love
specifically with the song “Look Up,” and shared it with many of my friends. I
own every release he has ever put out, and I am looking forward to owning any
and all new efforts. I still cry when I hear “The Hug Poem” and I still
consider The Thing That Poets Write About, The Thing That Singers Sing About to
be not only a staple in my favorite albums of all time, but one of the most
beautiful, humble, and heartfelt explorations of love I have ever heard. A
Mouth Full of Dust, and A Thousand Angry Panthers (the EP that followed Mouth
Full), break my heart more and more with each listen, in the best way. I love Bradley’s music,
period.
Needless to say, this email brightened my entire day, and I
quickly downloaded How Long. But something told me I should wait until today,
my twenty-fourth birthday, to listen to it. I am so glad I did.
In the email, Bradley said to express the feelings each song
brought, so I’m going to review the album by describing what I was doing, track
by track, in the most poetic way possible, since this first listen was a
spiritual experience in itself. Bradley’s music, for me, has been best
experienced surrounded by nature and the outdoors. I’ve had countless moments
of closeness and clarity with God while walking or driving with Bradley’s voice
in my ears, so it only seemed appropriate to go for a walk while listening to
the new album. This morning, I put on my headphones, stepped out of my door
into an overcast Autumn, and walked with no predetermined destination. I
pressed play and took the first step.
(All of these street names, people, animals, and events actually exist and happened to me during this walk. There is something greater in this world, my friends. If you slow down, you can see it clear as day.)
I first heard “Daddy’s Name” while walking over crisp leaves
to the sidewalk. There was a dog pawing at a window from inside a house across
the road. I smiled, and turned onto Page Street.
I first heard “How Long” on Spring Street. When he sang the
line about the breeze, wind brushed my cheek; when he sang the line about the
leaves, one fell in front of me, and I felt God everywhere.
I first heard “Courthouse” while sitting on the front steps
of a church.
I first heard “Georgia” while waiting for a light to change,
so I could safely cross the street.
I first heard “He Drives” and felt my heart breaking, yet
held together with loving hands. A smile on my face and tears in my eyes, I
felt like Bradley wrote this song about and for me. As it ended, I saw a man
hammering a nail on his front porch.
I first heard “If I Should Die” and thought I’d never smiled
so much during a song about death, and wondered if that was the point.
I first heard “Been So Long” on Sweet Street, missing a girl
I have always been in love with and never known and may never know, but I love
her still. A man was painting a white window frame as I passed.
I first heard “Beer Can” standing in front of a locked gate,
closed off from a beautiful yard. When I turned around, the street curved in a
way I didn’t like, so I returned to the gate, which was still locked. I thought
I once held the key, but then I knew I never had and never will.
I first heard “So Far” when I felt sad. I walked home and
knew I’d find Jesus at my door.
I first heard “You Look So Pretty” when I saw the place by
my apartment where a pretty girl smiled back at me one time. A leaf fell when I
least expected it. As the album closed, I opened my front door once again.
Overall, How Long is musically Bradley Hathaway’s best
album, hands down. His sound has evolved from a humble simplicity to an
abrasive disparity to now: a warm Southern nostalgia, slow-dripping with
memory, love, pain, grace, heartbreak, and hope. His voice has never sounded better, and his instruments have taken a fuller feel. Lyrically, (I’ll need to get
to know the album better before I can comment properly, but) his words are more
mature and the stories more complex than his previous work. I look forward to
learning the words so I may sing them along with Bradley if I get the chance to
see him on this tour.
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