Album Review: Sarah Blasko - I Awake

Sarah Blasko's fourth release, I Awake, is as powerful as her previous albums but with a new level of musical, lyrical and emotional maturity that really makes it stand out both from her own established sound and from others in her genre. The record's incredible depth of texture and sound is matched by Blasko's profoundly sophisticated lyrical content and her own complex vocal range.

I Awake, the title and opening track, is one of the standouts here. It opens with a heavy drum rhythm which confidently establishes the album's unique quality, and also introduces Blasko's deep, intense vocals, which also serve to set the record apart. An Arrow is much slower and steadier, boasting an incredible breadth of orchestral sounds and clear, strong verses to compliment it. The ominous drum and string lines and deep, heavy lyrics in God Fearing creates a broad, textured sound and makes for an incredibly alluring track. Blasko's honest, emotive lyricism stands out most prominently in All Of Me, which combines a faster melody with slower vocal phrasing and sombre string harmonies.

The second half of the record is unfortunately not as sophisticated or complex as the first and is thus considerably less engaging. Tracks such as Here and Cast The Net feel particularly simplistic and thin when compared with the songs that precede them. Blasko's talent for challenging compositions, both instrumentally and vocally, is showcased once again, however, in Fool. The record then closes with Not Yet, where the intense introduction, flawlessly composed piano, syncopated drum lines and powerful, affective vocals make it a perfect choice to end on, leaving the listener feeling almost unsettled upon its conclusion. This record, with all its simultaneous sophistication and honesty, truly is a triumph on all accounts.