Hozier // Hozier
by Andrew Buchser on October 15, 2014
Posted in: Album Review, Blues, Music, Rock
Hozier – “Take Me To Church”
Irish singer-songwriter Andrew Hozier-Byrne (Hozier) returned on October 7th with his spectacular, soulful, self-titled full-length album. Following the brilliant 2013 single “Take Me To Church,” which criticizes Russia’s anti-homosexual policy and whose haunting music video went viral in late 2013, this soulful artist had quite an expectation to live up to. He certainly succeeded. “Take Me To Church” has a heaviness that carries throughout the album, from the ballad “Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene” to the hard-hitting “Sedated,” which proclaims, “we are deaf, we are numb, Free and young and we can feel none of it.” However, the album is a rollercoaster, not only touching on some of Hozier’s darkest moments, but also his youthfulness and joy, which he expresses through “Jackie and Wilson,” and it is truly infectious. The final group of songs from the album is beautifully gentle, with songs like “From Eden” and “Like Real People Do.” The album ends with “Cherry Wine,” a sad yet sweet song that was recorded live for the album, providing a sense of closure for the listener after the haunting songs preceding it.
Genre: Rock, Soul, Blues
RIYL: Alabama Shakes, Father John Misty, The Avett Brothers, Band of Horses
Best Tracks: 1, 3, 4, 6
Grade: A-
Hozier is out now on Columbia Records.
Drew Buchser c0-hosts a show called “Who’s Still Out” Friday nights 7-8 on WRMC.
