Brett Randell - Rise EP (Self-Released)

Originally a New Yorker, Brett Randell is a singer songwriter now based out of Denver, Colorado. He recently released his new EP, Rise, a follow-up to his 2010 EP, Glow, and inspired by a series of adventures touring and travelling around the globe. Influenced by the likes of Ben Harper, and Damien Rice, Randell’s lyrics are deeply personal, yet emotionally universal. The five songs play out like an audible examination of his stamped passport, each a snapshot of a different experience or a new lesson learnt; and in the five years since his previous release, there is a definite growth in the vision and philosophy in his lyrics.

The production is also more bare and intimate than before, as if it’s a candlelit concert solely for the benefit of each individual listener. There are carefully chosen moments of expressiveness, including the melancholy strings on the title track, “Rise.” From traditional love songs (“Without You”), to philosophical dialogues (“The Waitress”), Rise is Randell’s manifesto, lovingly presented and ostensibly recorded with blood, sweat, and tears. It is a record of everything he has learned over the last five years, and it makes for a bold, impassioned testimony.