BWW CD Reviews: Mary Lambert's HEART ON MY SLEEVE Showcases Brilliant Pop Artisty

Recently, I was invited to attend Mary Lambert's intimate and altogether beautiful concert at New York City's SubCulture. With just a piano and her remarkable voice, she previewed songs off HEART ON MY SLEEVE and played other songs that both she and the audience love. I left that concert floating on an elevated plane of human existence, and I am happy to report that HEART ON MY SLEEVE takes me back to that transcendental field of bliss.

This is not to say that HEART ON MY SLEEVE gives listeners the warm-fuzzies at all times. It's not that kind of pop album. Mary Lambert has crafted songs about real human experience, not about soda and candy. Each song, like the album title suggests, is emotionally evocative, powerful, and endlessly resonates in the folds and chambers of our beings, our hearts, our minds, and our souls. Each track is a beautiful gem with plenty of intelligence and wit in the lyrics, melodies, and sonic landscapes for listeners to both enjoy and unpack. A good number will even have you dancing too.

Across the album, one of the most remarkable assets of the recording is Mary Lambert's continually inviting voice. It has a softness to it that begs listeners to give it undivided attention. Her instrument effortlessly moves us, ensuring that we feel ever drop of joy, anguish, radiance, and pain packed into the recording. Whether signing with a soft, breathy airiness or a more full-bodied, supported, and rounded tonality, Mary Lambert skillfully and expertly uses her gifts to enrich our lives with her music.

Every song excels on its own merits, and is a complete experience in and of itself. This makes it hard to pick standout tracks. The disc opens with "Secrets," the up-beat single released before the album. With clever lyrics, keen humor, and a profoundly positive message, this bouncy treasure is sure to entertain for years as it helps us learn to love ourselves in spite of our perceived flaws. "When You Sleep," with its dulcet tones and lusciously romantic lyrics, was one of my absolute favorite songs at her concert. On the album, it sits in a similar place. It's oscillates from places of unrequited heartbreak to satiating fantasy love, making it simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming. Her retooled rendition of "Jessie's Girl" is sublimely beautiful. "Sum of Our Parts" is an anthem of self-love that fills listeners with life and shows that above all, every person is worthy of being loved and saved by themselves for themselves.

While many of us didn't know who Mary Lambert was until she appeared on Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' "Same Love," she is definitely proving herself to be an artist that breaks molds and will be present in pop culture for years to come. With the brand of musical and lyrical skills that made artists like Elton John and Melissa Etheridge stars for decades, Mary Lambert is redefining pop music to fit her artistic sensibilities. As her first full-length album, there is no reason why you don't own HEART ON MY SLEEVE. You'll still be listening to it 20 and 30 years from now, when the youngsters of 2044 roll their eyes at the "oldies."

Capitol Records released Mary Lambert's HEART ON MY SLEEVE both digitally and physically on October 14, 2014. The album can be purchased from iTunes, Amazon, and elsewhere music is sold.

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