Pennsylvania-born Gabby Barrett first rose to fame when she reached the final of season 16 of American Idol back in 2018. Since then she’s gone on to have a smash hit with her number one single ‘I Hope’ – both as a solo artist and a duet version with Charlie Puth – as well as touring alongside Keith Urban, Luke Bryan and Zac Brown Band and being nominated for four ACM Awards. Now she’s back with her sophomore album, ‘Chapter & Verse’, the follow up to 2020’s ‘Goldmine’.
The 14-track record opens with, appropriately, ‘The Chapter’, which very much sets the pattern for the rest of the project. Barrett’s smooth, slightly husky vocals – reminiscent of a young Carrie Underwood – glide over a twangy melody as she looks back at her childhood whilst reminding herself to stay present in the current season of her life, before picking up into a big chorus that’s delivered at a clip. She’s always been a particularly strong vocalist and this one feels like it could definitely be something of an anthem for her fans.
For me many of the record’s most interesting moments come when Barrett shows her livelier side. ‘Cowboy Back’ has 90s country touches about it with its use of traditional instruments and a great fiddle riff, with a playful, almost flirtatious feel as she sings about ‘want[ing] the whole truck not the trucker hat’, whilst ‘Glory Days’ pairs a driving rhythm and rock guitar riffs with lyrics that paint a cosy domestic scene. I also really liked the twist of ‘Hard To Read’, with its slow burn, mysterious feel that sees Barrett open up and share her vulnerabilities with a potential romantic interest, and ‘Off The Highway’, a cheeky, bright tune with some nice pop-country touches that hark back to Barrett’s previous album.
There’s also plenty of room for slower numbers too though. ‘Dance Like No One’s Watching’, a loving tribute to Barrett’s father, has a lovely softness and warmth about it and some great harmonies from background vocalist Luke Combs (yes really); I’d love to hear a full-blown duet from the two of them someday. Elsewhere, the delicate ‘Had It All’ is a nostalgic look back at Barrett’s childhood home in the vein of ‘The House That Built Me’, peppered with details of Sharpie marks on the wall and a wonky screen door, whilst ‘You’re My Texas – as soaring and expansive as its namesake state – feels like a wedding song with its lush, romantic quality. Barrett also highlights her spiritual side throughout the project, with the thoughtful ‘Jesus On A Train’ and introspective ‘God, Money & Love’ giving her a chance to show off her impressive vocal belt in particular as she sings about the strength she gathers from her faith.
Two of my favourite songs on the album come when Barrett digs into more personal issues. ‘Growin’ Up Raising You’ has some of my favourite lines on the record (‘hand me the world wrapped in a pink blanket / the world falls asleep on my chest’ being a standout), as Barrett sings about her experience of being a young mother and embracing the adventure of parenthood. The song has an almost gospel feel about it and it’s difficult not to feel moved by the emotion she pours into her delivery. I also liked ‘Grow Apart’, a surprisingly insightful song where Barrett hopes for her relationship to last for life. There’s a pleading, breathy quality about her performance that gives it a rawness which stands out from the rest of the project, and it’s something I’d like her to explore more in future.
After the piano-led ‘All Of My Life’, a simple, sweet love song which breaks into yet another outing for those powerhouse vocals, Barrett closes the record with ‘The Verse: Doxology (Amen)’, featuring Phil Wickham. The stripped-back acapella approach shows off how well their voices blend and feels like a solid way to bookend the project.
Overall ‘Chapter & Verse’ is a decent effort from Barrett, which really highlights her vocal qualities and fulfils the brief of setting out where she is in her life now, with some nice traditional country elements and aspects from other genres as well as good songwriting throughout. However, especially in the middle section, it does have something of a tendency to merge together, and whilst there’s flashes of depth about it I wish that she’d dug a little more into those aspects to strengthen the connection. But it’s definitely a record that existing fans of hers will enjoy and I’ll be intrigued to see what she might do next – maybe a slight change of direction and going for a full-blown gospel album? Let’s wait and see…
Track listing: 1. The Chapter 2. Cowboy Back 3. Dance Like No One’s Watching 4. Glory Days 5. Had It All 6. Hard To Read 7. Growin’ Up Raising You 8. Off The Highway 9. You’re My Texas 10. Jesus On A Train 11. Grow Apart 12. God, Money & Love 13. All Of My Life 14. The Verse: Doxology (Amen) (featuring Phil Wickham) Record label: Warner Music Nashville Release date: 2nd February 2024
