Family music act Again, Again released its sophomore album, Your Voice is Magic Friday independently. The 10-song record is a presentation that is worth hearing at least once. Its appeal comes in part through its featured musical content which will be examined shortly. The lyrical content that accompanies the record’s musical content adds to the album’s appeal and will be discussed a little later. The sequencing of that content brings everything together and rounds out the record’s overall presentation. It will also be examined later. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the album’s presentation. All things considered, they make Your Voice is Magic an appealing new offering from Again, Again that is worth hearing again and again.
Your Voice is Magic, the new album from Again, Again, is an interesting new presentation from the up-and-coming family music duo Anne Montone and Jennifer Cook. The record’s musical arrangements form its foundation. For the most part, the musical content featured throughout the body is decidedly pop in its sound and approach. However, there are some variances throughout. One of the songs that breaks from the norm here comes late in the album’s run in ‘Captain Bubble Beard.’ The arrangement hear actually is a sea shanty style work, complete with something similar to an accordian and steady drum beat that is meant to sound like feet on a ship’s deck. The vocal delivery here is even sung in similar fashion as that of a shanty, making for even more engagement and entertainment. ‘Chosen,’ the album’s penultimate entry, boasts a sort of sound and style that is somewhat neo-folk in its sound and approach. That is evidenced through the simple, subtle use of the vocals and guitars. The seeming keyboard and synthesized strings also add to that sense, making for even more interest. It is a change of pace that audiences will find welcome from the rest of the album’s content in its own right. The lullaby approach of the album’s finale, ‘Monsters Aren’t Real’ is welcome in its own right, what with its gentle approach. Rather than just being another run-of-the-mill overly saccharine sweet style work that it could have been, it instead has the most subtle playfulness in that gentle approach, giving it a unique identity from other lullabies out there and from the rest of the album’s entries. As if all of this is not, the album’s opener, ‘Signs Up High,’ is a subtle pop rock style composition that has its own appeal, too. When it and the other songs examined here are considered along with the arrangements in the rest of the record, the whole makes clear why the album’s musical content is so important to its presentation.
While the musical content featured throughout Your Voice is Magic is clearly an important part of the album in its own right, it is just one of the important items to note. The lyrical themes that accompany the album’s musical content are just as worth examining. That is because of their diversity. As the album opens, the pair tackles the familiar topic of peaceful protest in ‘Signs Up High.’ The theme is made clear as Cook and Montone sing about marching for change and reminding listeners about knowing the difference between right and wrong. The mention of the signs is literally a reference to holding signs declaring that message of belief in certain topics. The promotion of standing up for one’s beliefs is key especially in the current age when so many people want to shout down those who peacefully protest.
‘Pronoun Party,’ which immediately follows, takes on the equally familiar topic of inclusion. In this case, it does so by “inviting” everyone to the “Pronoun Party.” In this case, the pronouns are the words that people in the LGBTQ+ community use to identify themselves. That topic is sure to cause its own share of discussion among listeners, considering how divisive the topic is among both liberals and conservatives both between the two sides and even among the parties. The inclusion theme continues in a different fashion in ‘Girl Included,’ which is a work that promotes gender equality among males and females. The accessible way in which the duo tackles the topic is certain to appeal to the act’s targeted audiences. As if all of this is not enough, Cook and Montone also take on the topic of adoption in ‘Chosen’ and that of personal hygiene in ‘Wash Your Hands March.’ Again, here is more example of the diversity in the album’s lyrical themes. All things considered here, the lyrical themes featured throughout Your Voice is Magic give audiences just as much to appreciate as the album’s musical content if not more. To that end, those themes prove to be just as important as the album’s musical content.
While all of the content that makes up the body of Your Voice is Magic is clearly important on its own and collectively, the sequencing of that content is just as important as the content. That is because it plays into the album’s general effect. Throughout the album’s run, which barely tops the 30-minute mark (30 minutes, 43 seconds to be exact), Cook and Montone keep the record’s energy flowing even as the styles and sounds of the arrangements change so subtly from one to the next. In the same vein, the more notable changes in the songs’ lyrical themes change enough to keep audiences engaged and entertained, too. The result thereof is that the general effect will ensure listeners’ maintained engagement and entertainment just as much as the album’s content. All things considered the record proves to be a mostly enjoyable addition to this year’s field of new family music albums.
Your Voice is Magic, the new album from up-and-coming family music act Again, Again, is a mostly enjoyable presentation from the duo. The record’s appeal comes in part through its musical arrangements. The arrangements are important because of their accessibility even being mostly poppy in their presentation. Each one boasts its own subtle difference from its counterparts throughout. The lyrical themes that accompany the musical arrangements are even more diverse, making for even more engagement. The sequencing of all of that content completes the picture painted by this album and brings everything full circle. Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the album’s presentation. All things considered they make Your Voice is Magic a welcome addition to this year’s field of new family music albums.
Your Voice is Magic is available now. More information on the album is available along with all of Again, Again’s latest news at:
Website: https://againagain.net
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/againagainmusic
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