“Heart, Broken,” the new song from Seattleite Jeannie Rak, is about four minutes of wonderfully captivating vocal performance and provocative nature metaphors. While the lyrics don’t often match the level of the depth felt in Rak’s voice, her vocal performance and the production soar above the clouds, with pulsating digital elements and chord changes that are delightfully welcoming.
Small swarms of electronic swells that feel like lightning bugs on an August evening open the song and ease into a relaxed guitar picking pattern. Steady and consistent, like a ticking clock, the guitar is accompanied by friendly drums that seem to shake your hand and introduce themselves. Then, Rak’s vocals sweep in, comforting and exceptionally warm.
The first verse introduces the nature metaphors rife throughout the track: Lines like “Feels like the bite of the wind in a sunless November” transport you to the world Rak is creating. However, lines like, “Don’t be afraid of broken hearts” and “The jagged edge of broken dreams” don’t have quite the range. They’re lines we’ve heard before and could have packed more of a punch of personal experience. The energy of the chorus goes north with the melody and Rak’s high notes effortlessly float on top of the production, but unfortunately the depth of the lyrics doesn’t match the sheer vocal talent here, either.
The second verse calls back to the first with another use of the word “broken” and another reference to a month (“Beats the breath of the asleep as we meet in December”). These callbacks and Rak’s nature-related metaphors create powerful visual images, but I want to hear more about what “lay like the stones in the beds of the streams” feels like to Rak. The chord changes leading into the bridge are fresh, and Rak’s tone sounds bright and welcoming over the melancholy lyrics. The callbacks continue with the use of “broken,” but we’ve already heard it so much in the verses leading up. I wish there was more expansion on the narrative.
In this summer-evening-sounding song, Jeannie Rak leads us on a journey of what sounds like a tumultuous time in her life. While some lyrics don’t reach the depths of emotion, some gems, like “the bite of the wind in a sunless November” instantly evoke intense feeling and imagery. With well-packaged instrumentation, a spotless vocal performance, and effortless-sounding production from Amit Sounds, hopefully Jeannie Rak will excavate even more lyrical gems in future tunes.
Take a listen below, and let us know in the comments how the lyrics hit for you.
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