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2. Crazy Beautiful
3. Nothing Like You
4. Drown
5. Doubts Or Disbelief
6. All Creation
7. History Tonight
8. All I Can Say
9. God & King
10. Desires
11. You And I
12. Don't Walk Away
13. Stars Are Meant To Shine
14. Shine Through The Stars (Hidden Track) Chasen's album has been queued on my musical playlist for a while. When I finally got to it, I found that while as a whole the album failed to really shine through the stars, particular songs shone brilliantly and really made up for the mediocrity in the remainder of this debut. Although at this point in their musical career, Chasen still lacks the "wow factor" of a musical niche, much of what they offer is above average, and if only they had fine-tuned and concentrated on the band's strengths, Shine Through the Stars would be one of this year's brightest.
Let us begin with those not salvageable. "History Tonight" is anything but motivating, "You and I" is forgettably subpar, and some songs downright sound like other band's songs, specifically those of Telecast and Seven Places ("All I Can Say," "Don't Walk Away"). Even the attempt at a worship song, "God & King," falls short of glory with trite lyrics such as "holy holy are You who lives in this place / holy holy are You, the truth and the way." I am sure churches would be able to utilize this song, but from a musical point of view, it has potential to be explored much more deeply. The same rings true for "Desires," which is almost too simplistic for a love song towards the Almighty Creator ("you are my... star, the love of my life, my desire."
But think twice before tossing this disc aside. I have isolated the weak tracks from the strong ones, but in reality, the album is expertly arranged so that the less interesting ones are interspersed between the ones that validate the album title. I usually dislike choruses that are lower than the verses, but the opening track "If It Comes Down" makes up for it with the song's falsetto arrangements. It also helps that Callahan sings it with great control, demanding attention throughout with his idiosyncratic pronunciation (his "away" almost sounds British) and emotive delivery. Personally, I also find the lead single "Crazy Beautiful" annoying, but I admit that it is nonetheless infectious. There is no better way to use a hook to your advantage. "Drown," the second single, is one of my favorites on the album, sounding like a mainstream hit or a personal American Idol exit song. In fact, I encourage Chasen to actually try getting exposure through a similar show, because this would be a perfect fit. It would easily be my favorite song off of Shine Through the Stars were it not for "Doubts or Disbelief," which is heartfelt and truly inspirational - it comes as a whole package: a poignant choir, amplified by strings, repeating "Oh, I'm free" as if to assure themselves of this oftentimes difficult-to-grasp truth.
Then we have "Nothing Like You," which shows Chasen's resiliency by playing off of the Ecclesiastes passage ("there is nothing underneath the sun without you"), and "All Creation," a country ditty which shows even more flexibility. The last song "Stars Are Meant To Shine" is excellent as well, made alive by a combination of the organic piano and the song's vulnerability. I wanted to listen to every last note of the last song, which is a good place for a listener to be at the end of an album.
As I finished Shine Through the Stars, I noticed that there was a bonus track succeeding it, and upon listening to it, discovered that even the little untitled track at the end shows more creativity than half of the songs on the album. I admire Chasen for trying to appeal to radio and the general listener, but I think it would be a smarter investment to pinpoint the band's unique traits and build on them in the next album. All in all, not a bad album; but lukewarmness is disappointing indeed.
- Clem
Disclaimer: This review is based solely on the opinions of it's reviewer and is rated on how that reviewer enjoyed the content.
