Sarah Donner - Black Hole Heart (2016)

Website: https://www.sarahdonner.com
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MUSIC VIDEO: (PHOENIX)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j13Jwyb-AnA

The beauty of real artistry in action is that it touches the heart through a combination of sincerity and simplicity. Few albums you’ll hear this year better embody that approach than Sarah Donner’s Black Hole Heart. Her interest in altruistic causes translates well into songwriting clearly manifesting a strong focus on storytelling and understanding what motivates human emotions. The dozen songs on this crowd-funded release aren’t the first from this important songwriting voice, but they rank high among her most clearly conceived efforts. Her musical style has often been referred to as pop-folk, but there are a number of moments on Black Hole Heart that are purist folk in its finest form and distinguished by a melodic directness that connects well with a wide audience rather than narrowly appealing to those hidebound by tradition. The musicianship on this release is quite strong and Donner’s performances are rendered with exquisite clarity by the production.

There’s a thematic consistency extending throughout the collection that gives it an additional cohesiveness. Her first song on Black Hole Heart, “Phoenix”, makes fine use of this timeless mythological story and it’s indicative of how well she occasionally uses common literary references to make larger points. This is where she introduces the album’s concept of imaginatively chronicling natural disasters and their effects on those who survive them – instead of being heavy handed, as all concepts have the potential to be, she artfully explores the theme. “Black Hole Heart” has much stronger pop music elements but they are brought into perfect accord with the spartan musical arrangement and everything comes off quite stylish without seeming too premeditated. Her voice is quite wonderful, but Donner’s intuitive understanding of her own gifts extends to a sharp ear for framing her voice in the best possible way with gentle and alluring vocal melodies. There’s a real hint of travail and struggle in the song and the sparse musical landscape is an ideal match for the material as it is elsewhere.

“Athena” is another strong musical character piece driven forward by a steady pace and sparkling mandolin work from Brad Sicote. She gives the song a little more bounce thanks to an equally sparkling vocal. The backing vocals on “The Longest Road” give it an ebullient demeanor quite unlike anything else on Black Hole Heart and it helps smooth over the rough edges inherent to the song’s narrative. The musical backing, once again, casts a bright light over listeners and keeps you involved from the first. “Big Big Heart” swells with a generous spirit of gratitude and deeper truths that never quell its very human spirit. There’s a very traditional grace infusing the album’s penultimate song “Sinking Ship” and the harmony vocals joining Donner’s voice at various points through the performance results in a priceless gem near the album’s conclusion. There are many riches in this collection and Sarah Donner’s heartfelt elegance never feels put on or overly affected. Black Hole Heart will win you over early and offers more than enough to keep you coming back for more.

Written by: William Cline

Grade: A