A stirring debut formed by survival and self-discovery, Songs From A Secret Room finds Colorado-based singer-songwriter Chris Rusin remodeling a interval of profound adversity into compelling artistry. Written after dropping — and in the end regaining — his voice throughout chemotherapy, the album displays the renewal that comes from confronting fragility and rediscovering function. Joined by Katie Sensible and a gifted ensemble of Colorado musicians, Rusin channels his expertise into an affecting mix of folks and Americana.
Amongst the album’s many highlights, “Flower” weaves a heartrending vocal duet — comprising Rusin and Sensible — with memorable instrumentation, spanning from pedal metal to cello. “Now I’m aiming to carry you, however I really feel out of vary,” they let loose, pairing palpable craving with acknowledgements of change. “I held you want a flower,” they proceed right into a hovering refrain, depicting winter’s barren terrain although with one’s stunning, flower-like state shining by means of all of it. Strings enter the combination because the vocals proceed to immerse, artfully capturing the power to seek out love regardless of life’s obstacles.
The standard songwriting additionally reveals on the “Cinders,” channeling a extra solemn people mystique because the harmonious vocal layering furthers its precision. Sensible’s magnetic vocal accompaniments, including a combination of serene and ardency, bolster Rusin’s regular tone with spine-tingling qualities. “Nonetheless I flip to you,” he sings, shortly bolstered by Sensible’s “the trail I didn’t take” chilliness. “We’re burned by the cinders,” they then mix, invigorating with reflections of affection’s tendency to depart its individuals burned.
Additionally enamoring is “Time to Love,” a young success that’s particularly private in conveying Rusin’s thought course of throughout an particularly troublesome Christmas — with chemotherapy and restoration on his thoughts. As he watches his youngsters sleep restfully and appreciates his life as it’s, he sings “we’re so near being glad” — exhibiting how the specter of most cancers looms giant, even throughout moments of bliss. Expressions of being again residence, with frozen landscapes round, pair with a lonesome state — utilizing practice imagery and “used to dream” sentiments to ruminate on each the previous and the striving to be optimistic about an unsure future. “I used to dream of affection I’d discover in time, now I dream of discovering time to like,” he sings, eloquently capturing how time feels much more finite when confronted with health-related hardships.
Rusin’s penchant for riveting songwriting continues constantly all through. “The Darkish” envelops in its lyrical prowess, interchanging darkish walks of uncertainty with extra optimistic “step into the sunshine” aura. Coronary heart-tugging strings and the duet-ing vocals stir in positioning love as a motive to cherish life and maintain combating, whereas acknowledging the potential of it rising chilly. “I misplaced you to the darkish in the long run. You have been my greatest buddy,” they lament, exuding a state of issues being over — at the same time as each hope for it to maintain going.
One other standout comes through album finale “Preventing For,” a piano-set balladry that ponders each renewal and overcoming, feeling like a cathartic send-off to an album that compels in its themes of perseverance and love, as each vocalists proclaim “the one factor price combating for is love.” With Songs From A Secret Room, Rusin enthralls along with his consuming songwriting — turning experiences of ache, perseverance, and love into an entirely memorable output.