album review by austin zhuang.
If anybody’s mentioned to me about American Idol, you would know that the first thing I would remember was when this girl named Tori auditioned for the show, and Simon Cowell was the only one that didn’t let her through the audition process; the rest of the judges did. Well, Tori proved her wrong. She’s now known all across the world for her renowned Gospel and pop songs, and even for the elephant-like character in the movie “Sing!”
She’s become not only a singer-songwriter, but she’s been my second inspiration other than Halsey. My first impression of her was actually from Traphik’s (aka Tim DeLaGhetto aka Tim Chatarangsu) music video for “Magnetic,” believe it or not. She’s been the pinnacle of my inspiration of songwriting experience; she’s taught me to be more authentic with my lyrical and musical material, and not be scared of failing. All of us are going to have to fail at one point, and I’ve just admitted that fact, honestly. She’s also a believer of God, which I admire EVEN more. Through this movement, she’s given back and she’s even collaborated with so many people through the Black Lives Matter movement.
Without further ado, here are a few songs I like from each of her albums & EPs she released, especially since each of her albums have unique back-stories! We’re gonna be reviewing the Foreword EP, Unbreakable Smile, Hiding Place, and her recent album, Inspired by True Events.
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Foreword EP
I really loved this EP; it felt more like a one-on-one beginning of a personal journey with her. There are some things that were written by her through her personal experiences. Tori claimed to give her album “with a double meaning” by writing some of her songs through a mix and guitar.
Dear No One = this song is like a future “love song”; it’s a song that was dedicated to a special someone. This one is one of my favorite songs from her; I like how she likes being on her own but she also feels lonely. However, at the same time, she will wait until the right one comes along.
Paper Hearts = This is by far one of the songs that has made me cry in my hard times and difficult situations. In the lyric “wet mascara” it implies the fact that she has pain, and she’s yet to face from the breakup, whiles masking it with a smile to the outer public, letting everybody think as if she’s all fine and that she’s going through is making her benefit mental health and much more.
Daydream = This song is such an empowering one in my opinion; it talks about how even though life may get hard sometimes, you would get extra special at some point in time.
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Unbreakable Smile
I admire this album from Tori a lot too, because she’s promoting a lot of authentic content. Not just that, she’s also presenting a lot of hardships presented through this album. She also is basing off Ephesians 2:10 (the Bible verse), through the actual song.
**Unbreakable Smile (actual song) = Since she’s getting more famous, she decides to type it up and sell it the original way she wanted it to. Family and career are equally important, in her opinion. When she sang “palm on your chessboard” she meant that she’d rather be herself than letting her music label manipulate herself. At the same time, she’s promoting a lot of self-love as well.
Funny (live) = This song talks about how fame can change so many people, honestly. A lot of artists have started to “sell out” their stuff, but in Tori’s case, she doesn’t take a single bit. She doesn’t care about ‘star quality’; in other words, she sees this as the cycle of fame honestly.
Should’ve Been Us = This is another break-up song, but a more catchy one. She wonders what it would’ve been like had it been for staying with her ex-lover.
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Hiding Place
Out of all the albums she’s released, I love how Tori released a Gospel-like album. It’s as if she goes back to the roots that brought her up before the American Idol era, the people that influenced her, and her strong belief in God.
Psalm 42 = Reflecting back, I admire the way she integrated the Holy Bible into this song. Psalms 42, to Tori, is a reflection on how believers of God usually thirst for His love and mercy. The actual verse recites: “1 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” When she sings “I’m a stranger here” it refers to John 15:19, and “for those dry bones” refers to Ezekiel 37:1-14.
Never Alone = She SINGS major truth in Deuteronomy 31:6, especially with reference to Romans 8:28, which says: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”
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Inspired by True Events
When this album first came out in August of last year, I never expected what was going to come my way. I thought it was going to be one of her typical albums she was going to release, much like any other artist would.
Oh boy, was I completely wrong. These were songs written from pure and raw experiences from her past life. In other words, from Wikipedia, they describe her album as “interspersed with deeply personal moments and encapsulates her coming of age.”
Here are some of my favorite songs from her recent album; there’s been some additions here and there ever since it released, but I’ve stuck to these original ones from the August 9th album, as I didn’t want to make it more confusing than it should be.
Coffee = I love how Tori literally, and metaphorically, used the critique in the song. The minor chords describe her emotions and the fact that she could base a song off of her cup of coffee literally; it’s beyond amazing.
In addition, it’s such a good “quaran-TUNE” to vibe to whenever you are feeling relaxed and/or down.
2 Places = This song is really about the uncertainties of both life and the emotions that come behind it. This song is super-reflective of my life, mainly because I also wasn’t really aware nor diversely open about anything, to be honest.
Pretty Fades = Tori’s significance to this song is played with meaning -- nowadays, we try to receive so much instant gratification from social media, and we use that misconception to plug it back into the reality that we live in. We often get offended over the ugly looks and what not, but at the end of the day, it’s what matters the most: beauty over everything else.