Florida native Brooke Eden first broke through in 2014 with her independent self-titled EP, and won over fans straight away with her commanding stage presence and brassy, straight-shooting style. After taking a break before returning last year with a trilogy of summer songs, now she’s back with her new EP, ‘Choosing You’, produced by Jesse Frasure and which Eden also co-wrote.
The five-track EP kicks off with ‘Knock’, a bright, twangy acoustic guitar-led song which showcases Eden’s gorgeous clear vocals and slight husky tones as she tells a friend to give up on a romantic connection that isn’t being reciprocated. I particularly loved the clever, frank lyrics – ‘Yeah the 1950s called and begging’s out of fashion’ being a standout line – along with classic country references to Patsy Cline and Nancy Sinatra. It strikes a great balance between a playful melody and serious message and feels like a really strong way to start.
One thing that really stood out to me about the EP is how Eden isn’t afraid to embrace a variety of styles and sounds. Current single ‘Left You For Me’ starts with an introspective, piano-driven first verse as Eden sings about doubting herself in a past relationship, before bursting into a huge chorus with strong pop touches. It’s a hugely empowering track and will serve as a breakup anthem for many – I can imagine this sounding amazing live with a crowd singing in full voice. Meanwhile, the sassy, swaggering ‘Comeback Love’ features a hugely independent protagonist whose world gets turned upside down when she falls for someone. The song really highlights the soulful aspects of Eden’s vocals, along with strong Motown influences and a great guitar riff towards the end, and I defy you not to dance along!
For me the standout track is ‘Heartless’, which feels like a sister song to ‘Comeback Love’. It opens with a gorgeous steel guitar melody before being picked up by the piano as Eden sings about her fear that she couldn’t feel for anyone before being opened up to love by her current partner. There’s a delicate feel to her vocals as she delivers the raw, bittersweet lyrics and the layered harmonies on the pre-chorus add further depth. With allusions to her experience coming out as one of country’s few openly LGBTQ+ artists and a great sense of storytelling, it’s an incredible powerful moment and the dramatic, sweeping style feels like a significant departure from the rest of the set.
The EP finishes with ‘Off The Ground’, a dreamy, upbeat number that celebrates the ‘walking on air’ feeling of falling for someone. Eden hits some fantastic high notes on the song and her joyful delivery is utterly infectious. She ends it with a simple declaration of ‘I love you baby, nobody gets me this high’ and it feels like a wonderfully uplifting way (pardon the pun) to end the collection that definitely leaves you wanting more.
Overall ‘Choosing You’ is a really strong reintroduction to Brooke Eden’s music and is sure to win her plenty of new fans. She showcases her pop, country and soul influences, as well as a great vocal range and some really smart songwriting throughout. The narrative thread that runs through the EP is great and I love the celebratory feel of it too. I’m excited to hear more from her in the future and hope it won’t be too long before we do!
Track listing: 1. Knock 2. Left You For Me 3. Comeback Love 4. Heartless 5. Off The Ground Record label: BMG/BBR Music Group Release date: 29th July 2022
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