Jacob Brand – “Beauty To Recognize”

Jacob Brand – “Beauty To Recognize” – Single Review

So let’s see here…Jacob Brand from right here out of our own backyard in British Columbia…

Ultimately, I think there is usually a couple things that are true of each and every song out there to a degree, and a contrast between what will appeal & won’t to people…and yep, that’s just as accurate here in the case of “Beauty To Recognize.”  Tons of positives without a doubt, but it would be a failing on my part not to point out the massively uphill battle a track like this would go through to reach the people out there.  “Beauty To Recognize” is well outside of what’s happening in the music-scene at the moment…which certainly doesn’t make any track described as such bad, just in-store for more of a challenge.  Call me the crazy one, but I believe in journalistic integrity that prepares artists and bands for what they’re likely to go through when they’re releasing their music out into the wild of the internet.

Anyhow.  Like I said, there are many positives here – and almost every single one of those revolves around the performance that Jacob puts in, which he should certainly be proud of.  You can tell he’s coming from a musical/theatre background for sure – he’s got that ultra-expressive style & approach that you can practically tell comes with its own dance routine and/or facial expressions for when he turns to the audience.  If you don’t believe me, a quick internet search will help you find the roots of where “Beauty To Recognize” started its journey about a year or so ago with Jacob doing a full performance of it for ya on his YouTube channel, and you’ll see I was right about all that.  Dude has an excellent voice and clearly knows how to use it…he’s got a range that he’s unafraid to use, and genuinely explores it throughout the course of the vocal dynamics he’s written into the structure of this tune.  He’s got plenty of opportunity to go from the lows to the highs, and he navigates the demands on his voice with professional precision…Jacob knows how to sing, 100%.

When it comes right down to it, the sentiment, subject, theme, and concept…they work.  I’m not gonna be the guy to say he’s recreating the wheel here – “Beauty To Recognize” is a love-song, and while we’ve all heard plenty of’em, I’m never really all that opposed to hearing another.  Where I think Brand has got some space to evolve in his craft, he might not actually at all – if he’s aiming at the theatre crowd and whatnot, then there’s a bunch of poetic words that might not be used in our normal everyday speech, but definitely more geared towards musicals & that type of writing.  I suppose that’s where I found the disconnect for me a little though…Jacob sings: “I speak from the heart” and that’s somewhat true when you consider the sentiment – but he’s writing from the head.  In doing so, he ends up with words we don’t often encounter outside of plays and productions, words that probably don’t really say what he’d want to say so much as fit the rhyme-scheme, and noticeable writing as opposed to natural fluidity…I ain’t saying any of that is wrong, it just is what it is.  Like I was tellin’ ya, it’s all about what the song is written for and the intent he’s got behind it…if this is part of a larger scale production or something like a theatre play, then right on my good man, you’ve nailed it.  If it’s more intended to be something that the average everyday listener is going to have on their playlists, I think he’s in for more of a battle is all.

Is it catchy though?  Sure!  Does it have a whole lot of pleasant melody in it?  Yep!  “Beauty To Recognize” is well-executed, don’t get it twisted and don’t get me wrong…I’m simply saying that it’s equally important to know where you’re heading with the music you make as artists, and to know where it’ll find the most receptive audience.  I wouldn’t fault Jacob whatsoever when it comes to the way he sings this or the commitment he shows to the material – he’s giving this song everything he’s got, and the results we hear speaks volumes on behalf of what he’s capable of as a performance-minded artist & all-around entertainer.  I’m merely challenging him to tap into his sincerity that much more…and he’s as welcome to take that or leave it like everything else I say in these reviews I write…personally, I think he’s got more in the tank when it comes to his lyricism and communicating what he really wants to say.  If we’re talking about the writing, like I said, it shows the background of a performer within it…lyrics like “the look of you leaves me enthralled” is a very nice and kind thing to say…it’s just that you likely don’t know anyone that would phrase it like that in an everyday conversation, which makes it a bit strange to hear in a song – make sense?  That’s the effect of hearing something that’s written, as opposed to words flowing straight from the heart…neither method is wrong, it simply depends on what the objective is.

It’s a sweet song.  Clearly Jacob has got a whole lot of love in his heart, and really, that’s what the main takeaway from listening to a track like “Beauty To Recognize” will be.  I’d be shopping this around to local plays and musical productions for sure…or maybe he’s already working on a script to incorporate a song like this into…those are where the real opportunities are for a single like this.  I dig the music, I dig the heart and dedication that Brand brings to his performance…like I said, there are actually quite a few positives here, and if I was more of a musical-inclined person, I’d probably dig it that much more.  So if that’s YOU and that’s your jam, then Jacob Brand has got something special for ya with this shiny new single “Beauty To Recognize,” and I’m completely convinced he’d love the opportunity to brighten your day with it.  Have a listen, see what you think…he’s got a whole lot of artistic potential and a masterful grip on the expressive side of sound, and if he leans into all that, he’ll find the audience he’s looking for.

Find out more about Jacob Brand from his official page at Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/jacobbrandofficial

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