“Little Black Dress” arrives in the nick of time to increase the tempo, providing a “feel good” groove. Ultimately not too shabby, length and lethargic tempo takes away slightly from a fairly respectable cut. On “Satellite Call”, big pop drums anchor against a relaxed tempo and mysterious vocal production which stacks Bareilles’ vocals. Nuanced and pure vocally, with magnificently orchestrated horns for the patient listener, this song is equally poised and lovely. “Manhattan” benefits from its restraint and eventual ripening during a piping hot bridge that descends once more back into restraint. “Hercules” is among The Blessed Unrest’s greatest triumphs.
The writing still has an inspirational title, but the quirks about this cut give it plenty of separation from the previous, as well as many contemporary pop songs. “Hercules” is stronger (no pun intended), with Bareilles channeling her inner Fiona Apple, particularly using her lower vocal register. “Chasing The Sun” continues on an inspirational train, yielding more poetry courtesy of Sara, whether it’s “It’s a really old city / Stuck between the dead and the living … the gift of my heartbeat sounds like a symphony / Played by a cemetery in the center of Queens” or the somewhat schmaltzy, if genuine “ … So fill up your longs and just run / But always be chasing the sun.” Thoughtful and well sung, the cons are length and over-encouragement.
” Ultimately, it begins The Blessed Unrest off to a fast, moving start. Bareilles’ pipes shine above the production, particularly on the featured line of the chorus, “I just wanna see you be brave.” Throughout “Brave”, Bareilles offers words of encouragement and building strength, whether it is lines like “You can be the outcast / Or the backlash of somebody’s lack of love / Or you can start speaking up … ” or “Don’t run, stop holding your tongue / Maybe there’s a way out of the cage where you live …. “Brave” opens exceptionally, anchored by its rhythmic nature throughout. Regardless, Bareilles remains in great voice. To call Bareilles selfish would be a definite overstatement, but, at times on The Blessed Unrest, Bareilles overreaches and others seems a bit blasé. The rub with being such an ambitious singer/songwriter is that sometimes your gift can present itself to others as indulgent.
As alluded to by the aforementioned lyric, Bareilles has a prodigious gift for words she’s incredibly poetic and refined with her pen. “Anchored home in her interstellar sea / But poor lonely Cassiopeia.” The featured line is excerpted from Sara Bareilles’ “Cassiopeia”, one of several “heady” tracks from her latest effort, The Blessed Unrest.
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