Each Measure Feature: Collaborations
FEATURE
You get a sense that the artists responsible for Songs From The Heart Vol. 1 are writing, playing, and singing for their lives. For the talented artists that make up Collaborations, it wouldn’t be enough to simply make an album that pays homage to the pop music of the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s—a test of their craftsmanship which they pass with flying colors. They’re out for much more than that. They’re out to reclaim a quintessential spark they feel has been lost in contemporary pop music.
It is appropriate that this group of artists is working under the moniker “Collaborations,” as they seem to have an innate understanding that the whole project is greater than the sum of its parts. They’ve banded together to produce a work of art that is both ambitious and familiar. A promotional release that was published in accompaniment of the album states that “Collaborations is not just a project; it’s a revival of music with a soul.” It’s a tall task for anyone to revive the lost soul of music, but Collaborations is up to the challenge. They swing for the fences, and they knock it out of the park.
Songs From The Heart Vol. 1 is a collection of songs that are teeming with reminders. In fact, in “Got a Feeling,” written by Ed Daniels / Kimberly Bon and sung by Heather Joseph, Joseph sings, “Another generation coming up behind us, let’s give them a start,” as if to encourage young musicians not to forget where they came from. The album’s musical stylings, achieved by The Collaborations Band, harken back to the Golden Age of pop music—a glowing reminder to a new generation of their musical heritage.
Lyrically, Collaborations’ songs strive for profundity in their songwriting, a goal which is achieved, perhaps most potently, in “Don’t You See,” sung by Sylvia Jones. In the song, Jones sings, “Don’t you see, there’s no guarantee / just possibilities.” This lyric, written by Jones and Ed Daniels, serves as another powerful reminder to seize the moment and create something that will last—a feat which, upon the lyric’s delivery, Collaborations pulls off. In this way, while Collaborations seeks to remind its listeners that music ought to “transcend time,” the group holds itself to the same standard of thematic and musical excellence.
These artists see Collaborations as an act of innovation, and rightly so. Ed Daniels, the project’s mastermind, supplied his artists with a theme for each song and then commissioned them to imbue Songs From The Heart’s material with their own creative sensibilities. For a project that seeks to invigorate and challenge its listeners to aspire for more, it was the perfect tactic.
KEEP UP WITH COLLABORATIONS BELOW: