Review Summary: You know nothing Jon Snow.....
Rachael Platten made waves not too long ago for her beautifully empowering anthem Fight Song. Shortly after discovering and falling in love with the song I wondered what was next for her. A short time later she dished out Stand By You, a catchy, feel-good number that takes it down a notch. Although still highly memorable and fun to sing along to, Stand By You is a much more affectionate and delicate song compared to her previous single. I enjoyed it even more than Fight Song and soon after discovered that Rachel had put out an album called Wildfire. Needless to say, I went out and bought it instantly and unexpectedly enough I loved the whole album.
I don't know much about Rachel Platten's backstory but I love the fact that she came out of nowhere in her 30's and unleashed such an explosive, self-empowering radio staple in Fight Song. It's been a long time since I've heard something so upbeat and uplifting on the radio and you know what's even better, the rest of her record Wildfire follows along in that same suit while still adding enough variety, tempo changes and catchy hooks to keep you entertained. Wildlife has your game day anthems, your rockers, your dance floor anthems and your ballads.
Rachel Platten projects herself as that beautiful girl next door with the heart of gold and whether that's a media ploy or not, I don't care. I always feel good when listening to her music. In an age where depression, miscommunication and infidelity run amok, it's pretty killer to hear down to earth songs that you can relate to. Most of them, including Speechless, Don't Know My Heart, Better Place and Superman straight up slay. Even when she picks up the tempo and makes a sexual pop track in Hey Hey Hallelujah, it doesn't feel out of place on the album. It's a fun, sexy song with tight verses and a powerful chorus. I know I sound like a mom or a dad in this review but I don't give a ***.
Wildfire is a consistently enjoyable pop album from start to close. I find something to like on every song. Hooks are prevalent, lyrics are naive but touching and the choruses are M/. It's simple music but it's charming as hell. Two acoustic renditions of earlier songs might sound redundant but the usage of strings make the bonus tracks sound even more epic. Clearly, this isn't an album that is going to develop a cult following on sputnik, no wheels are being reinvented here, there aren't even any Death Grip cameos here but hey, if you like simplistic, catchy pop music with positive messages then there's no reason why you shouldn't give this a spin or seven.
