Becca Leigh - Doxologies

Becca Leigh

​Doxologies 
self-released; 2015

4.4 out of 5 - TOP ALBUM 

By Jamie Funk
​

I’ll start by saying Doxologies by Becca Leigh is a beautiful EP that wraps you up in a warm melancholy that penetrates straight to your soul. The album utilizes deceptively simple and sparse instrumentation that combines with exceptional production to create solace, which slowly seeps over your body as you listen.

First and foremost are Leigh’s vocals, which I could listen to regardless if there was instrumentation. Her voice can be tender and soft yet dynamic and powerful. Either way it’s full of human emotion that is undeniable. You can feel it in the nuances and inflections of her voice. 

Leigh’s voice is the focal point of these songs but the music is also exceptional. The second in command is an acoustic guitar, which provides lush picking patterns while other instruments such as drums and piano peek into to say hi.

The EP starts with “Good Morning” which while beautiful and sparse felt like more or less like an intro. It was on the title track that my jaw started to drop and I started to realize the level of talent I was listening to. The lyrics are nostalgic reflections into the past. She sings, “in the long long night I was waiting on a storm / and I counted in my mind all the letters I had torn / and the rivers of my soul ran a-wild in me.”

“Garden Bed” picks up the energy level with some well-placed drums and a slightly more hopeful sounding vocal melody. Leigh’s vocals sound absolutely stellar. Just take a listen and you will most likely feel the same way I do. “In the Wind” should come with a warning because you may shed a tear while listening. The soft piano and what sounds like orchestral strings are ornaments, which increase the emotional weight of the song. Leigh's lyrics are poetic and heartfelt. She sings, “I heard the dawn awake - crawled out of my cave / I saw your frame appear on the distant cusp of day / and you ran like a river / held me close to your chest / no more lost little darlin' / now this heart of mine can rest.”

The closer “The River” lifts your spirits in rejoicing and hope. It almost sounds like a traditional song that has a timeless quality. As it progresses the song and arguably the EP finds its climax as multiple vocal harmonies create a cascade of gorgeous harmony. Her final lyrics like the feeling of the entire EP are poignant but wrapped in a cocoon of comfort that let you rest your head there. She sings “these are days of crooked roads / I will let you ease my load / seems like a long way / I can see the final resting place.”

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