
Decca Records
free Date : November 12th 2021
Reviewed by : Joshua Andre
Reading: Ronan Keating – Songs From Home
Ronan Keating – Songs From Home ( Amazon mp3 / iTunes )
track list :
- Ragland Road
- Into The Mystic
- Where The Streets Have No Name
- The Voyage
- The Island
- Summer In Dublin
- Guiding Light
- No Frontiers (feat. Mary Black)
- The Blower’s Daughter
- The Parting Glass
- Heyday
- Set In Stone
One thing that I ’ ve learn throughout the past few years of me blogging about influential artists ; is that I credibly instinctively know a wholly batch more ‘ mainstream ’ music than I thought I previously did. And that ’ s decidedly not a bad matter at all. even at the time of 2 and a half years ago when Jon and I started this ongoing series, there were songs and artists that were round, that we heard ; that pierced our soul, reminding us that God uses anyone in ordering to convey His message to us. Of course, we ’ d like it if the artist were a christian ; but God isn ’ t in the business of using arrant people, as evidenced by the blemished heroes in the Bible ; and thus, I guess it shouldn ’ metric ton arrive to any storm that possibly over the years, the most impactful and inhale songs I ’ ve learn, that I believe God has used, are songs that aren ’ triiodothyronine of a ‘ Christian ’ nature, and are songs that are more in the mainstream. Throughout the years, there have been many songs that have inspired me and have encouraged me to keep one foot in front of the other. Songs like “ You Raise Me Up ” ( Josh Groban ), “ Head Above Water ” ( Avril Lavigne ), “ cipher ” ( Selena Gomez ), “ What About now ” ( Daughtry ), “ Where The Streets Have No name ” ( U2 ), “ Warrior ” ( Demi Lovato ), Believe Again ( Delta Goodrem ), “ Crazy ” ( SEAL ), “ I wish ” ( Rascal Flatts ), “ Little Me ” ( Little Mix ), “ Alive ” ( Dami Im ), “ All For One ” ( Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart & Sting ), “ Limitless ” ( Jennifer Lopez ), “ Beautiful ” ( Christina Aguilera ), “ Out Of The Woods ” ( Taylor Swift ), “ What About Us ” ( PINK ), “ Run ” ( Snow Patrol ), “ Footprints In The Sand ” ( Leona Lewis ), and “ Halo ” ( Beyonce ) ; have all touched me vastly over the past 2-3 years, and has reminded me of God ’ s might to change the world and to change a life- within any type of song. And as I ’ molarity more attune and mindful to how God uses ‘ mainstream ’ music to draw people to Him, and to remind us that music that international relations and security network ’ thyroxine inherently ‘ Christian ’ in nature, international relations and security network ’ thymine necessarily ‘ bad ’ ; another album released this past few weeks, that has reminded me that God is moving, that God is working, that God will continue to flip the meaning of ‘ inspirational music ’ on its head and continue to redefine it to how He sees fit. Songs From Home, from irish pop artist Ronan Keating, is one of the most sedate, soothing, vulnerable, personal and affectional albums I ’ ve hear in 2021- and before I hear some readers groan and complain that Ronan ’ s album doesn ’ thyroxine sing about Jesus, and thus doesn ’ t sing about the ageless hope of salvation ; can I just say that we ought to give something the benefit of the doubt before we write it off wholly ? Can I besides fair say that an album like this can move person towards Jesus, and that should be ok ?
The last couple of years have been tough on us all as many have been separated from family and home. During that time, music became even more important to remind us of the special connection that we each have with our hometowns and countries. The songs on this album helped shape me as I grew up in Ireland and then as I’ve travelled around the world. They may be songs from my home, Ireland but they are really songs for everyone and wherever home might be for them.
I won ’ t dive into the particulars of Ronan Keating and his history and how he came into being partially of one of the most respected and popular male child bands of the 90 ’ mho ( BoyZone ) ; for that I ’ ll leave it to Jon in his web log about Ronan which he wrote in 2019, a well as Jon ’ s review of Ronan ’ sulfur 2020 album Twenty Twenty. If you want to know more about Ronan, read those two posts and then carry on. But what I will say is this- that Ronan ’ s brooding, reflective, sometimes somber, sometimes introspective, and all-the-time uplift music ; is music indeed for the soul. There may not be mention of Jesus, but Ronan does ask the deep questions in life- as he has done in his career with songs like “ Life Is A Rollercoaster ”, “ She Believes ( In Me ) ”, “ The Long Goodbye ”, “ Lost For Words ”, “ When You Say Nothing At All ”, “ If Tomorrow Never Comes ”, “ Fires ”, “ Wasted Light ” and “ This Is Your song ”, to name a few. specifically on Songs From Home, Ronan sings a few originals, and then handpicks songs about his hometown, and songs that mean something especial to him, as we all gravitate to nostalgia and sentimentality during the capriciousness of COVID-19. The result is a well thought-out and wonderfully whistle collection of songs that minister to our spirit and remind us all that we ’ rhenium not alone, that with friends, family and God beside us, we can truly accomplish anything we set our minds to. Album opener “ Ragland Road ”, a celebrated irish folk music sung by The Dubliners, is finely recorded here by Ronan, as he seriously recounts to us a fib about the persona diving head first into a relationship he knows is doomed to end badly, so far he embarks on it anyhow. A tune that is in fact a warning to us to very know what we are in for when we pledge our love and committedness to person ; this modern Irish hymn, arrant with bagpipes and fart instruments, is a stir and affectional opener, and reminds us that sometimes our heart longs for something that our drumhead disagrees with- and it is in this tension and dichotomy where we feel rightfully alive and truly human. “ Into The Mystic ”, primitively recorded by Van Morrison, is a lyrically dim and nebulous tune, that could be about any eastern or New-Age religion ; and with this tune leaning heavily into topics about the spiritual kingdom, this sung is a perfect segue into a healthy discussion at the dinner table of what it truly means to be religious, and how God and Jesus enter into that equation .
The rest of the songs on Songs From Home continue to speak to our soul, with each bringing forth something different even equally profound about the homo have. “ Where The Streets Have No Name ”, one of U2 ’ s most democratic songs ever, is stripped down to an acoustic ballad, and speaks about longing for eden and spend eternity with Jesus, with Ronan decidedly and ardently relaying to us that ‘ …where the streets have no name, where the streets have no name, we ’ re inactive building and burning down love, burning down love, and when I go there, I go there with you, it ’ s all I can do… ’ ; while “ The Voyage ” is another well known Irish hymn, primitively by Christy Moore, and compares the journey of marriage between two people, to be similar to the ever continuous ocean trip out to sea between a captain, his first match, and the gang. “ The Island ”, by Paul Brady, is another aroused and hard-hitting tune, where Ronan sings this song to perfection, as the political and slightly controversial track speaks about the horrors of all of the atrocious things happening in this world and then former on speaks about how ‘ …this wasn ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate meant to be no sad song, we ’ ve heard excessively much of that before, right now I only want to be here with you, till the dawn dew comes falling… ’ ; while “ Summer In Dublin ” is a patriotic irish song by Bagatelle, and a track that reminds us to always be grateful and grateful for where you grew up, and to always grow where you ’ ra planted, and to create a home somewhere where you can stay ground and rooted in your identity in Christ.
I primitively thought that “ Guiding Light ” was a song by Mumford And Sons, and though Ronan would have created a brilliant blanket of that sung, this melody is rather originally by Foy Vance and Ed Sheeran. It ’ south one of the most vulnerable, honest and herculean songs on this album, as Ronan creates an about adoring experience, with the tune speaking about person nameless ( possibly God ? ) being the character ’ south guiding light ; and as Ronan articulately and emotionally cries out that ‘ …well the atmosphere is cold, and yonder lies my dormant person, by the branches, broke like bones, this weakened tree no longer holds, well, the night is hush, and I have not however lost my will, oh, and I will keep on moving ’ public treasury, until I find my way dwelling, when I need to get base, you ’ re my guiding idle, you ’ re my guiding light… ’, we are usher into a beautiful here and now of giving up and submission into Someone greater than ourselves. “ No Frontiers ” is another beautiful melody- this time with a long ton of imagination, as Ronan and Mary Black sing one of Mary ’ s songs from the 80 ’ mho. With the lead address about the inner beauty of person whom the persona values identical much ; Ronan stormily declares that somehow this person lights up the room and brightens even the darkest soul, that the person is truly eden personified. “ The Blower ’ s Daughter ” by Damien Rice, is a passionate and intense report of Damien ’ s telephone love matter with a woman whom he late found out was only a 16 year old teenager- and Ronan vibrantly and skillfully makes this cover his own ; while “ The Parting Glass ” is a scottish traditional song. With Ronan singing with such enthusiasm and excitation, this song tug at my soul and at my emotions. With Ronan delivering a ‘ separate ’ word of sorts, this melody is a fitting way to be at the back end of the album ; as he covertly and lightly alludes to the theme of us all holding the album to our soul very deeply and us all hopefully gaining peace, joy, comfort and healing from these songs present .
“ Heyday ”, primitively by Mic Christopher, is a move, dear and stirring tune, as the acoustic guitar led track speaks about taking risks and be in the moment- living animation as if it is your own time to do something that will make a difference in this populace. And as Ronan passionately cries out that ‘ …this is our flower baby, and we ’ ra not gon na be afraid to shout, ’ campaign we can make our flower last constantly, and ain ’ thyroxine that what it ’ sulfur all about, oh survive, in our own atrocious way… ’ ; we are presented with a track that can and should be an anthem for many- yesterday has passed and tomorrow international relations and security network ’ metric ton promised, and as such we should live each day as if it is our last, and each day as if we will step out in religion, be brave and show the populace what we ’ rhenium made of. Songs From Home ends with the most personal song on the album. “ Set In Stone ” describes Ronan ’ s love for his wife Storm, and speaks about how their love is built upon ‘ stone ’ and a foundation that lasts, that ‘ …we didn ’ t give up, even with doubt, climbing over walls that we built, we don ’ t have to tear them down, love is a home, these walls keep us warm, even in the eye of the storm, I know we ’ re unbreakable, love set in stone… ’ .
Ronan Keating international relations and security network ’ t the most democratic artist these days. He had his flower ( no pun intended ! ) second in the 2000 ’ mho, but this album reminds us that a full artist is a thoroughly artist is a dear artist. And sometimes that experience translates into something special and timeless- of which I believe Songs From Home will be both now and into the future. And as Ronan stormily and beautifully yield court and a tribute to his dwelling and the concept of having a base, we are presented with an album that speaks about identity and love and being with the people who treasure you the most. This album, defy I say it, is one of the most important of 2021 ( evening though I ’ molarity not irish ! ), and if this fact disturbs the religious person in you, that claims that songs need to be explicitly about Jesus to be worth listening to ; then let me say that God… can use anything He wants to bring us all closer to Him. And therefore with that, let us marvel at how Ronan Keating is such a brainy and inhale entertainer, performer, singer and songwriter- and an artist that can transform a report into his own birdcall. This album surely brings this fact to the fore. Well done Ronan, I can ’ triiodothyronine wait to hear what God has in store for you in the future !
3 songs to listen to : Where The Streets Have No name, Guiding Light, Set In Stone
score : 4.5/5
RIYL : Bryan Adams, Robbie Williams, Westlife, Guy Sebastian, Kylie Minogue, Delta Goodrem, Rod Stewart