Everyone loves to talk about themselves. Everyone has their favorite things from each year, whether it is your favorite food, movie or album. Everyone loves to talk about their favorites.
With the New Year passing by, I thought what better way to kick it off than to talk about my favorite album from this year, “COAT OF MANY COLORS” by Brandon Lake.
Released on Oct. 20, 2023, Christian artist Brandon Lake released his fourth studio album titled “COAT OF MANY COLORS”, and prior to the album’s release, Lake put out multiple singles to give his listeners a taste of the album. Some of those singles include “PRAISE YOU ANYWHERE” and “COUNT ‘EM.”
Although I discovered Lake’s music and “COAT OF MANY COLORS” in early December through TikTok, I quickly fell in love with the album and Lake’s style of music. His vulnerability, emotional lyrics and delivery, and variety of instrumental choices resonated with me. In December, I was going through a rough patch in my life and struggling with my faith, in need of a spark or a change for my life, and a “COAT OF MANY COLORS” was just that.
After my initial listen, I was utterly shell shocked with how the album made me feel and how much I related to the lyrics and messages that Lake brought to each track. As a person of Christian faith, it can be challenging to find and connect with a majority of modern music, but the variety of styles that Lake displays on this album relieved me of that challenge. During the month of December, “COAT OF MANY COLORS” quickly shot to my most listened album of 2023, with 104 plays, and Lake rose to my top 15 most listened to artists of 2023 too, with about 600 minutes listened.
Here are my top songs from the album:
Five: “PALM OF YOUR HAND”
Four: “COAT OF MANY COLORS”
Three: “GOD IS NOT AGAINST ME”
Two: “MORE (with Benjamin William Hastings)”
One: “COUNTRY PSALM”
Each of the previously mentioned songs displays a new and well-executed style of Lake’s music, ranging in vocal delivery, instrumental style and Lake’s personal experiences. Songs like “MORE” and “COAT OF MANY COLORS” offer a more upbeat and “feel-good” tone, while a song like “COUNTRY PSALM” offers a more emotional and calm tone.
Although this album may not be for everyone, I encourage those who may be interested in exploring this genre and style of music to check out this album. Cheers to hopefully another year of wonderful music.
