Heaven - Sarena Rae (Album Review)
Sarena Rae is a gem of a singer and performer, someone who I’ve gotten to know over the past couple of years through events with BlueWater Kings, where she is involved as a singer and emcee on events, and through various projects, like the West Michigan cover of “The Chain” that was tracked at Third Coast Recording Company in Grand Haven and performed live at The Jammies XXI earlier this year. She is a kind-hearted spirit that loves to interact with others on and off stage, sharing her vocal prowess and life story with every performance. For 2020, she has brought together some of the area’s finest musicians to realize her first EP, Heaven, to tell her story through three distinct, powerful arrangements.
Right away, the album starts to groove with “Caught in Between,” a song that lets you sink into a soulful backbeat while hearing Sarena explain living life between two worlds as a biracial individual. As a biracial man myself, I can empathize with her lyricism when she explains how she feels compelled to bridge the social gap between white and black friends and feeling pulled between two identities that American media depicts as “cultural norms” for different race groups. There is a section in the music that adds wonderful tension, shifting to a more active harmonic progression that abandons the expectations set in the beginning of the tune, almost mimicking the struggle depicted in the words. Terrence Massey (trumpet), Caleb Elzinga (tenor sax), and Aaron Hettinga (trombone) provide some great horns in this moment, punctuating the change in mood with their horn stabs. All the while, Robert Pace (bass), Joe Hettinga (keys/engineering), Kevin Kozel (guitar), and Scott Pellegrom (drums) hold down the groove with expertise and ease, showing their strengths as studio musicians. On “Fatherless,” Sarena opens up about her childhood, navigating life in a single parent household and wondering what she could have done to drive her father away. Rather than leaning into the sadness by reflecting it in the accompaniment, the tune is set to a Motown-style ballad in a major key, as if to musically reassure the listener that she has learned to reconcile these past transgressions in her home life and move forward with a renewed sense of self and who can reciprocate her unconditional love. Throughout this tune, we also hear supporting vocals from Avalon Cutts-Jones, Clarence Xavier, Taurean Pruitt, three individuals who work effortlessly together, blending the strength of their background in live performance and a gospel upbringing. Finally, we hear some beautiful choral arrangements washed in reverb on the title track, “Heaven.” The way this track is engineered in particular yields a spacious, warm environment for the chorus of Sarenas to inhabit as a message of faith and healing is delivered. What is especially wonderful about this track is that it keeps the vocals as the focal point, only adding in piano and tambourine to make great use of space and subtle markers within the song’s overall progression. It is a wonderful ending to three distinct experiences on this EP.
If Heaven is the first time you’ll be hearing Sarena Rae sing, then you are in for a wonderful experience. She’s open to sharing her life’s story with the listener through different, memorable song arrangements on her debut release, which is a bold step for any artist to take. The support from the Michigan music community is apparent in those she interacts with off-stage and the roster of artists included on this record, from gospel music singers to jazz horn players. She is also spreading her joyful attitude and love for others in the different side-ventures she explores as well, from modeling sportswear to mentoring students to educating college boards on issues focused on race. Sarena Rae is definitely poised to make an impression on the greater Michigan community with her talents and passionate drive, so dive into this EP, follow her exploits online, and keep an eye out for when she rolls into town with a talented band of musicians in tow to support her powerful voice!
Album Credits:
Terrance Massey - Trumpet
Caleb Elzinga - Tenor Sax
Aaron Hettinga - Trombone
Robert Pace - Bass
Joe Hettinga - Keys
Kevin Kozel - Guitar
Scott Pellegrom - Drums
Supporting Vocalists on “Fatherless” and “Caught In Between”:
Avalon Cutts-Jones
Clarence Xavier
Taurean Pruitt
Engineered by Joe Hettinga at Third Coast Recording Company
Follow Sarena Rae:
Listen to the album: https://sarenarae.hearnow.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarena.chandler
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarenaraemusic/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarenarae7
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChv1Z-rr0GkE-qTyGaZxheg
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4jIbYLmJt0P12tl6DtAz25?si=9xxEDM2PRSGIZ_1FgChqJQ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/sarena-rae/id593129399?ign-mpt=uo%3D4
