A call to the prodigals, the grace of the Father, and our response to all he does. ‘Son’ is a collection of 13 tracks that captivate the heart and point us back Him. We live in a world where we encounter broken situations and lives, may these songs bring light and hope.
Every single track has the sense of something significant being communicated, whether it is the gut-wrenching “Open Arms” (Prodigal son song), “Watch This Space” – the heart cry of a teenager whose dad has never been around, or “First Love” – a song of realisation that we treat God more as a grandparent than a parent.
On this album intelligent, insightful lyrics combine with melodies that will hover in your brain to attack that place somewhere between your head and your heart. You won’t regret the challenge.
There is also a fantastic CD-ROM section including videos to two of the tracks, sheet music, cell outlines based on the songs, studio photos, and an innovative section where Andy is in video diary mode, telling the stories behind the songs.
Review
Some albums take you on a journey, some tell stories and others just entertain. Son is different; it’s more of a photograph album than a storybook, capturing moments of significance and the ordinary alike. Times of great joy are interspersed with confusion and challenge. It’s an album written from the heart, although this is more than an album of one person. It’s a collision of different peoples influences and lives, and Andy has managed to bring it together and simply record his thoughts.
This is the second studio album from singer/songwriter Andy Flannagan and unlike the first it feels very unhurried or rushed. All the unmistakable Andy Flannagan signatures are there, from the catchy chorus of Talk All Night, which opens the album, through the haunting melodies of Stars and ending with the resounding Kingdom Come. The songs are well crafted and there are some nice unexpected touches like the subtle use of horns on Stop and the passionate rhythms of Temple Song. The songs carry a cry from God through the brokenness of everyday life yet lift the listener to see him from another perspective.
This album isn’t trying to be anything other than what it is. It is not, and never will be about the songs but about the spirit that inspired them.
Sometimes, life is about what’s not said.
Welcome home.
Andy Flannagan 