Sarah Kelly “My Corner of Heaven” Album Review

Prime Cuts: Legends (The Real You), Amazing Grace, Just as You Please

The medieval view of heaven where angels gently strum the harps at their serene best won't score any points in Sarah Kelly's book.  Singer cum songwriter Sarah Kelly on the title cut "My Corner of Heaven" gives us her version of what heaven is like.  Blasting with a Jimi Hendricks-styled hallelujah, Kelly promises that her heaven is a rock fest jam where music is loud and original.  And though there's a tongue in cheek fun (evidenced through her giggle at the conclusion of the song), the song also is telling in terms of the direction of this brand new record.  While her last few records find Kelly mellowing down as she explores the more intimate side of worship through her more ballad driven records such as 2008's "Born to Worship" and 2010's "Midnight Sun,"  "My Corner of Heaven" revives the rock chic in her yet without toning down her Christ-centered lyrical focus.

It wasn't that long ago when Sarah Kelly was the jewel of Gotee Records.  A label that once was a major supplier of contemporary Christian music that included launching the careers of GRITS, the Katinas, Ayiesha Woods, Jennifer Knapp and also Sarah Kelly.  However, with the state of the music industry being sabotage by illegal downloading and the failure of purchasing albums these days, Gotee Records is only left with a shoelace lineup of merely four artists.  Kelly has taken the independent route with the release of "My Corner of Heaven."  Raising her own financial support via Kickstarter, this fan funded album is touted by Kelly as her best record yet. 

However, the crippling economics of such a self-supported record does rear its head in the sense that Kelly was not able to provide 11 new songs.  Rather, three of the songs here come from other artists where Kelly is only featured as a backing vocalist.  Further, with a remix version of her former hit "Take Me Away" and a teased out bombastic cover of "Amazing Grace," "My Corner of Heaven" looks more like an EP with only six new and original songs.  And most of the six songs are wonderful.  Morphing more and more like Alanis Morissette with her vocal slurs, "Unescapable" combines the swirling dance beats of today's EDM with an 80s female rock sound bringing out Kelly's charm from her earlier albums.  "Legends (The Real You)" shows that Kelly can never be domesticated in one style.  A crescendo building power ballad that comes quipped with violins and searing rock guitars, listen to how vocally Kelly escalates up to a bombastic climax.

The first few bars of "Amazing Grace" may get us fooled thinking Kelly has gone retro with this John Newton hymn.  But when the guitar comes in you know you are brought up to Kelly's electrifying heaven by the song's bridge.  Fans who are more middle-of-the-road in their music tastes will adore the pop sounding "Everything's New."  And lest one thinks Kelly has completely gone on to be the successor of Joan Jett, "Just as You Please" is a piano ballad that functions as a gorgeous prayer of surrender to God.  A song that ought to find its way into our daily devotional lives.  "My Corner of Heaven" finds a rejuvenated Kelly back:  she's not afraid to rock with a holy abandon but when she gets to croon a worship ballad, she still can shake heavens. 

 

 

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