Brad Rondeau - emotive

Brad Rondeau

Emotive
self-released; 2013

3.6 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Emotive is the recent five-song EP released by Brad Rondeau. All of the five songs contain just his voice, a guitar and just enough pent up energy to not make the songs drag. The guitar playing isn't overly complicated and relies on basic chords throughout (although he occasionally utilizes some fingerpicking). What makes the songs work are  his lyrics, which throughout add enough creativity to keep you interested as to what he might say next. As far as the overall mood of the songs it doesn't change much as he seems to be fine with a lugubrious tone that never seems to change.

He starts the album with one of the highlights “Emotive,” which overstays its welcome by a tad but still works. One of the best lines of the song is the first one in which he states “give me hair give me skin, give me all of your oxygen, give me skies give me open air take my hand and I’m never scared. “Look At Me” almost feels like a continuation of “Emotive.” It’s a solid song but Rondeau’s vocal delivery, his tone, as well as the guitar playing were similar enough that I had to make sure I wasn't listening to the same song.

“I Don’t Care” had one of the best vocal performances on the album as Rondeau repeats the phrase “and I don’t even care” while the closer “Anything” has the prettiest guitar progressions on the album. 

What I appreciated about this album was the obvious heartfelt intention and raw emotion that was apparent not only in his voice but his guitar playing. The downside is that there weren't many flavors to choose from. I don't mind anyone doing their thing with a guitar and their voice but you it sometimes beneifical to vary the emotional landscapes to keep the listener on board with your creative vision. In the end the good outweighs the bad and Rondeau proves he has a lot of innate talent as a songwriter.

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