Hi Pal,
Welcome to another review where I tell you how I feel about a specific album or EP release. We will check out Dear Prodigal by Jeremi Licata in today's edition.
I’ve been following Jeremi Licata’s music for about a year now and he’s one of those artists who caught my attention through his creative song art selections. Sometime last year, he started releasing songs for this new album and I suspected we’d be getting a debut project soon. I have a soft spot for debut projects, so here we are.
Kicking off with the title track, Licata calls for lost children to come back home. Drawing inspiration directly from the story of the prodigal son, the message and music are both crafted simply and methodically. It’s an alternative pop tune with heartland rock influences with warm keyboard licks and steady drums.
“New Heart” kicks things up a gear as an upbeat indie rock tune with a prominent and groovy bass line and infectious guitar licks. It’s a song that tells of the wonders of salvation and the work that Jesus did on the cross as he sings, ‘…you took my filthy garment, and clothed me with rich robes, my life was changed forever, it was a miracle…’
“Midnight Hour” follows feeling like a B-side to its predecessor as it carries some of the same feels — chunky bass grooves and lead guitar licks. This doesn’t mean that it is a replica of the previous tune. A major distinction that became apparent after multiple listens is the way the instruments are given more room for expression in this song.
“From Prodigal” marks the midway point of this album both thematically and on the tracklist. If the first track is the call of the father to the prodigal son, this track is the response of the son after returning home. It’s a tale of gratitude and love as the principal character sings, ‘…I found what I was looking for when I came back to you…’ Musically, it slows the album down, turning away from the energetic approach of the previous tracks and opting for an acoustic feel.
On “Open Up”, Licata follows through on the themes of the previous song. It is a call to return home that shares similarities with the first track — including having the album title embedded within its lyrics. The primary difference is that this call seems to be from a son who has returned home while the first is directly from the perspective of the Father.
“SuperHero” is a piano ballad from the grateful heart of one who has been rescued by Christ. Thematically, it’s a wonderful follow-up to the previous song. “Dirt Road” is a beautiful acoustic tune whose only negative is that it is too short. I love struct with here and the choral voices are a nice touch. It’s easy to dismiss this song as an interlude because of the short runtime but it is my favourite moment on the album.
“Father’s House” is the final track of this album and it completes the three-act structure of this journey. The tune is sung mostly from the perspective of the Father again as He prepares to throw a feast to welcome the son home. It’s a song of love and rejoicing, closing out the album with a choral chant from the son’s perspective singing, ‘…it’s so good to be back home, inside my father’s house’.
I love concept albums of every kind but story-like albums like this take the cake for me. If I was approaching this album from a structural and tracklisting perspective alone, I would say that it is close to perfection. It is clear that a lot of thought went into putting it together and deciding how the album flows.
However, as with most albums, some songs are stronger than others. This is not a criticism because there is no bad song on this album. It is just quite clear to me that there are a few songs that I will return to continuously and others that may get minimal attention from me.
All of that being said, this is a solid body of work and I will always be ready to dive into anything that Jeremi Licata puts out in future.
Genre(s): Indie Rock, Singer-Songwriter
RATING
: 3.5/5
Listen Here:
Apple Music • Deezer • Other Links
Connect with Jeremi Licata:
That’s it for today.
Catch you soon!
Talk to me about your favourite songs on the album. Also, let me know of any other albums or EPs you’d like me to review.
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