When it comes to modern Country singers in Canada, Brett Kissel is without a doubt at the very top of the ladder. Heās been releasing music since he was only 13 years old, but it was his 2013 album āStarted With a Songā, his debut for Warner Music Canada, that saw him really gaining traction on the charts and commercially. Since that album, Kissel has gone on to become a much-decorated Country singer in his home country and remarkably, heās only 30 years old! A little over a year on from his 2020 CCMA Award-winning album āNow Or Neverā, Kissel is back with new album āWhat Is Life?ā.
Prior to writing and recording āWhat Is Life?ā, Kissel struggled with his creativity, in large part due to the ongoing pandemic (read our interview to find out more). He didnāt write for six months but once inspiration hit, the road to āWhat Is Life?ā unfolded organically. Inspired by the reflections weāve all had during the last 12 months of the pandemic, the album sees Kissel exploring whatās important in life and celebrating those things that heās grateful for. The album opens with a spoken word intro where Kissel muses on the meaning of life. Itās the first of a series of spoken word moments, with the others featuring his children Aria, Leo and Mila, that punctuate the album and add an unexpected emotional punch.
The first song on the record is current single āMake a Life, Not a Livingā, and itās a song that every single person can relate to. If the pandemic has taught us anything, itās that we all waste too much time and energy on the wrong things. Itās easy to spend your life working rather than living, and that message hits home in the boldest of ways on āMake a Life, Not a Livingā. While Kissel didnāt write the song, he taps into how weāre all feeling with his delivery and that makes for a very powerful moment.
My favourite song on the album comes early on. āDie To Go Homeā is a song that resonates with me so deeply, I get emotional just writing about it. Kissel perfectly captures that feeling we all have when weāre desperate to strike out on our own and we ditch our home town for the brighter lights of somewhere else. Given we havenāt been able to see our families much, if at all, the past year, this song hits hard. Iām sure Iām not the only one whoāll hear it and vow to visit their hometown more often moving forward.
Elsewhere on the record Kissel emphasises the importance of connecting to your roots on āDown to Earthā, finds some levity with the romantic āBetter Bad Ideaā, and looks back at where he came from on the nostalgic āEverything in the Rearviewā. On āWithoutā Kissel brings the beat up as he sings about letting go of the things in life that donāt matter, and on āFrom This Day Forwardā Kissel gets emotional over a dramatic piano melody as he sings about his wife. Closing track āKindnessā is a fitting end to a record that focuses on living a purposeful life rather than a materialistic one. The raw recording lets you hear Kisselās natural talent as he sings about how kindness is the answer to the worldās problems.
āWhat Is Life?ā is a timely record that is sure to resonate with everyone, regardless of whether theyāre familiar with Kisselās music. The messages on this record are powerful, thought-provoking and so important. For me, this is Kisselās best work to date and I canāt wait to see him back in the UK to perform these songs. In the hands of anyone else, this record could have veered into cheesy but with Kisselās honest approach, itās a damn fine and emotional record.
Track listing: 1. What Is Life? 2. Make a Life, Not a Living 3. Die To Go Home 4. From Aria (feat. Aria Kissel) 5. Down to Earth 6. Better Bad Idea 7. Night in the Life 8. From Leo (feat. Leo Kissel) 9. Everything in the Rearview 10. Slidinā Your Way 11. Without 12. From This Day Forward 13. From Mila (feat. Mila Kissel) 14. Kindness Record label: Warner Music Canada Release date: 9th April 2021 Buy āWhat Is Life?ā now
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