“Into the Furious Light” is the latest release by Shawn Brown, an exceptional singer-songwriter based in Portland, Oregon. Heavily promoted with “Hold Fast” and “Sad Ones (Acoustic Version), two excellent compositions that vividly showcase what you might expect from this outstanding EP, this material also includes “Let Them Love Ya,” one of those fine pieces of sonic artistry where all those superb vocal and sonic, maneuvers grab you by the collar and refuse to let go long after the last notes and beats fade. For those who somehow missed our article about “Hold Fast,” Shawn Brown embraces several complementary music genres to illustrate such luxuriant sonic imagery. For this particular material, he decided to incorporate all the fundamental elements of acoustic rock, accompanied by subtle or more dominant sonic ingredients borrowed from alternative, indie rock, indie folk, and folk rock. Of course, he merged all these styles with such precision and finesse, creating one of the finest extended plays you’ll hear this year.
This epic sonic journey commences with “Hold Fast,” an excellent opener that vividly showcases Shawn Brown’s dedication to the craft. His ability to craft mesmerizing compositions that go beyond standard acoustic and alternative rock instrumentations is vividly hearable here, as he also introduces subtle electric guitars in the mix. The guitar interplay makes this composition such a hypnotic, addictive, irresistible piece that wraps around your listening apparatus immediately. These guitar works shape an adequate backdrop for all the vocals to shine upon while also building a nearly cathartic atmosphere. Still, Shawn Brown’s vocal performance steals the show here, as he delivers one of the finest vocal performances you’ll hear in a while. His impressive vocal range seamlessly balances low, mid, and high notes with such precision and finesse, decorating everything he intended to achieve with this marvelous track. These vocal harmonies bring emotional depth and complexity to an already intricate song structure, as they emphasize each segment and orchestration with such precision and finesse. It’s also good to mention that “Hold Fast” is the only number on this epic sonic journey that includes a rhythm section. You’ll hear how all those marvelous, vividly hearable, warm-sounding basslines rumble beneath other instrumentations, providing support to exceptional guitar works. Alongside well-accentuated, cleverly assembled, and flawlessly performed beats, breaks, fills, and other percussive acrobatics, they offer more than necessary punch and groove while keeping everything in line. “Hold Fast” continuously levitates between nineties rock nostalgia and modern sound, providing many sonic delicacies for both old and new rock fans.
After such an energetic rock anthem, Shawn Brown calms things down with “Let Them Love Ya;” another excellent piece that showcases all the creativity and versatility of this brilliant solo artist. You’ll notice how some of the finest elements borrowed from Americana blend with the acoustic rock core, spicing things up and elevating this song to new heights. Brown skillfully implemented mesmerizing, engaging, memorable, catchy slide guitar themes, melodies, harmonies, and accentuations that perfectly pair with perfectly executed acoustic chord progressions. Together, both guitar channels create a calm, soothing, relaxing, ethereal ambiance that will not only even the pickiest acoustic rock but also those stumbling upon Shawn Brown’s music for the first time. This clever artist proves once again that acoustic folk rock can still sound fresh, unique, versatile, and innovative by breaking all the rules and shapeshifting the boundaries of several music styles at once. It seems like a simple acoustic song, but if you dig deeper into the song’s core, you’ll notice Shawn Brown’s brilliance and creative genius at work, offering one of those profoundly complex pieces where each instrument has its place and purpose. His voice shines in the limelight once again, perfectly delivering meaningful, marvelously written lyrics. This pleasant sonic journey closes with the acoustic version of ” The Sad Ones,” an incredible track that perfectly suits this EP. For this rendition, Shawn Brown left arrangements almost intact, allowing for those longtime fans of his music to fully grasp everything they dearly love about this song. However, the interplay between piano and guitars makes this rendition more intimate while Shawn Brown’s marvelous, passionate, sincere, confident, and powerful vocal performance brings each segment to an entirely new level. These vocal harmonies are more whispery, and raspy, but there are those high notes that serve as a perfect contrast to the palm-muted chord progressions. The piano makes things even more interesting, delivering more intricate orchestrations over the stripped-down arrangements. It’s such a beautiful rendition that elevates the entire EP.
Once again, Shawn Brown delivered an acoustic rock masterpiece. Each composition sounds divine, as he poured heart and soul into them. His experience, knowledge, skills, and talent are on full display, showcasing the tremendous creativity, brilliant ideas, and marvelous musicianship of such an incredible artist. “Into the Furious Light” is a piece of art, one of those recordings that wraps around your listening apparatus, and transports you into a lush sonic universe built upon excellent vocal and sonic maneuvers. You should immediately place this EP on your music radar. “Into the Furious Light” is available on all streaming platforms. Don’t miss it!
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