Sarah Reynolds – Wilderness (2021)
In ‘Cover Me’, Sarah Reynolds shared a bit about her faith through the moving meditation of the single. With her latest single ‘Wilderness’, she continues to share her experiences and emotions. The vulnerable and authentic tones of this single expresses feelings of hopelessness and despair that we can all relate to. Delicate and intimate, the song touches on faith but also tugs on the heartstrings of secular listeners.
The building melody keeps you engaged while the emotions invoked are easy to connect with as the last year has had us all feeling them. the beauty and meaning she infuses into all her music shines brightly in this track. The skills she has honed over the years allow her to masterfully craft the emotional journey of her music.
The piano line that opens ‘Wilderness’ is tender and gentle like the first rays of morning light. The touching tone of the melody is vulnerable and slinks into your chest to tug at your emotions. The deep pound that comes through with the chorus adds a poignancy to the single. There is something in the beats that shivers through your chest and vibrates through your senses. The steady build of the melody has you rising with it. While rising, you can feel that there is a hard struggle that has led to this like the feeling of seeing the summit of a mountain as you hike.
As the melody builds, Reynold’s vocals are mesmerising in their softness and authenticity. From the first word, you can feel the questioning in her voice as she edges hopelessness. This turns into a plea for help to rise out of the despair that threatens to overtake her. The lyrics have a Christian edge but this has been so wonderfully woven into the song that it can also be taken as calling for help from others. Regardless, of the religious layering, the single is the perfect call for help that many of us have faced at times. As the melody builds to the crescendo, Reynold’s vocals match as she powers through your senses and fills you with emotion. By the end of the track, you feel like you could make it through anything while floating on a river of emotion.
Sarah Reynolds captures the plea for help many of us have felt in the face of despair and hopelessness in ‘Wilderness’. While there is a religious edge to the single, the lyrics can be taken as a general call for help. Regardless of this, Reynolds’ vocals are powerful in their emotive call and have you welling with the feelings she infuses into every word.
Find out more about Sarah Reynolds on her Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
