CD Review: More faith than fire in ‘Never Too Late’
It is only natural for musicians to pull inspiration from various influences. Many write songs about love, partying, politics, current events and life experiences.
Huntington Beach singer-songwriter Vanessa Jourdan decided to write about her faith for her fourth album, “Never Too Late.”
The Kickstarter-funded, 11-track LP is overtly spiritual. There is a fine line, however, between a pop song with religious undertones and a church hymn.
It boils down to how songs are packaged, both lyrically and musically. Many bands and musicians have done this with beauty and finesse. The Beatles’ “Let It Be” is a gentle song about Paul McCartney’s mother, but it also can be interpreted as being about the Virgin Mary. James Ingram and Michael McDonald teamed up to write “Yah Mo B There,” a song about Yahweh, the original Hebrew name for God.
And note the lyrics of the U2 hit “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”: You broke the bonds / And you loosed the chains / Carried the cross of my shame / Oh, my shame, you know I believe it.
“Never Too Late,” however, does not quite have the carefully crafted lyrics of these examples.
The opening track, “Amazing Race,” can pass as a church hymn, but it sounds flat and can use more energy, which Jourdan is perfectly capable of delivering. It’s a bit of a tease when each verse builds up to a mediocre chorus.
“Beauty for Ashes” falls short of being decent. The verses are punchy, accented by Jourdan’s commanding voice, but again, the choruses lack energy. Jourdan tries to carry the entire song with her vocals but needs more instrumental backup.
“The End of Myself” is the most well-rounded track, and I’m surprised that the LP doesn’t include more songs like it. It incorporates well-written lyrics, lush instrumentation and great vocal layering. It has hymn-like qualities, but easily presents as a pop song.
One track left me wondering why it was on the album. “Trigger Finger” is about a person who takes action against anyone who disagrees. It has a late-1990s girl-pop-group sound with a Latin flair, and it’s quite catchy. I don’t know if there’s religious meaning behind it, but it doesn’t fit with any of the other songs.
Jourdan is a talented artist who has the tools to write beautiful songs, no matter the context, but after four albums, I was expecting more. Tracks like “The End of Myself” and “Disappointment” are proof that she can create amazing songs, so let’s hope future material from her is just as strong.