CD Review: LeAnn Rimes The Human & The Holy
by Dyah Ikhsanti for Country Music News International
Singer: LeAnn Rimes
Album: Chant: The Human & The Holy
Release: November 20, 2020
- My Heart 3:15
- Be Still and Know 5:13
- In the Stillness 7:35
- Treasured 3:19
- Human/Holy 2:36
- The Truth of Love 3:02
- What I Cannot Change (Chant) 6:28
- With My Hands 4:13
- Set Me Free 7:12
- Let the Light In 4:21
- Christed 3:50
- Sing Love into the World 4:14
As a someone who is interested in meditation and all kinds of metaphysics, LeAnn Rimes’ latest album is sure my cup of tea. Especially in the middle of pandemic like nowadays, it is easy to let everything gets into our heads.
Chant: The Human & The Holy serves a reminder for me to find my peace by taking a step back and be still for a moment. Rimes’ vocal was combined with instrumental that was meant to make you focus to the “chant”.
It is definitely an album that you want to listen to after a hectic day or whenever you need some positive affirmations.
My Heart
First, before going to talk about the song, I want to praise the vocal. This is an acapella and LeAnn Rimes sings it without backing vocal. Somehow, I still feel that this song is easy to enjoy. The simplicity is the main charm of My Heart that will touch your hearts.
Secondly, the song is supposed to be a chant that you can listen and follow along. The verse is repeated four times like a prayer or mantra, so it can have effect on the listeners.
In the broader sense, what she meant by “heart” is our spirits or souls. In which, sometimes our emotions affect our thoughts and actions from the guidance of our spirits, that comes in forms of intuition and faith.
My Heart is a song that invites us to follow the guidance of our hearts, and not being manipulated by our surrounding.
Be Still and Know
This song consists of four words that are repeated through out the song. With the support of meditation instrument, I cannot help but focus on the words.
Different from My Heart, this song invites us to take a quiet moment for several minutes. If you have difficulty while meditating, you can use this track to help you focus. The lyric will help you to refocus your mind in case it wanders in the middle of meditation.
In the Stillness
This track is another chant that you can use for your daily affirmation. With calming vocal and instrument, you cannot help but to focus on the lyric that is basically an affirmation.
Again, this track was made to help you in your meditation. Especially when you need help to calm your mind and emotion.
Treasured
This one is another meditative song with repetitive lyrics that sound like a prayer or affirmation. Unlike Be Still and Know, sing along to this song will help you to meditate or affirm better.
What is interesting about this song is, no matter what religion you believe in you can relate to this song. Because instead of using the word “God”, she used the word “the one” which allows anyone to interpret “the creator” based on their understanding.
I will recommend this song when you try to calm yourself after a sad experience. This song wants to make sure that whatever happens, you are safe and loved.
What I cannot Change (Chant)
Even though this track was made to be a chant, it does not lose the country vibe in it. Guitar sound and the harmonization remind me of typical country ballad song.
It is a good song to enjoy while you are doing your daily activities. Yes, you will get repetitive verse because it is a chant after all, but the country element of this song will not get you bored.
For you who need a calming song while working, this one can be your option.
Set Me Free
This song is an affirmation so you can gradually let go of resentment, anger, or any negative feeling that been burdening you. This is also a reminder to root your feeling, thought, and action in love and truth. Besides that, Rimes wanted the listeners to set themselves free by forgiving what is hurting them.
Again, the simplicity of this song plays a big role to deliver the message of the song. You have no choice, but to focus on the words.
Let the Light In
Honestly, when I first listened to this song, I had some Disney vibe out of it. This is a song that can be a background sound when a magical event happens in a movie.
“Light” is a word that commonly used to describe “awareness” or “knowledge”. Let the Light In can be interpreted as do not deny the truth or awareness to enter your life.
By saying this affirmation, it is expected that we can open up ourselves to the awareness and wisdom that we can get from both good and bad experience.
In this album, you will also find a cheerful track like Christed and Sing Love Into the World that were smartly placed as two last songs.
Listening to this album made me realise that we can be flexible when it comes to music. Country can be delivered in many forms and it is still a country song.
This album serves something unique and new but still sounds familiar due to the simplicity. LeAnn Rimes proved that you can be as creative as you want with music and make your messages as clear as day.
Writer: Dyah Ikhsanti