Rachel Platten - Wildfire

Rachel Platten
Wildfire
2016
Rachel Platten - Wildfire

One of the first official records of 2016 hit the scene on January 1st. Rachel Platten has been making music for some time but it was not until "Fight Song" put her on the worlds radar that a major label scooped her up and Wildfire is the outcome of that union. To say this album is formulaic would be quite the understatement. Cliche hooks, empowerment anthems and more than a few sing-a-long with me moments almost any female singer could be plugged into this record and do the same thing. There is very few to distinguish this album from anything else in the same genre. It is sad to say because there are certainly moments like on "Speechless" where Platten switches up the tempo and rhythm of her singing and it is interesting. She does the same on "Fight Song" attempting to creating a song that both has some empowerment meaning but also lets some real power and emotion loose. Those two tracks however can't save what is otherwise a really mediocre record.

She can sure sing in that classic way that doesn't go on a lot of runs or over sing things. Platten instead is able to lay back and let the music come to her in her own register. She sounds like someone who is confident in her skills and could really sing these tracks live with no issue. "Lone Ranger" feels so much like a contrived female on my own type of track that it is almost laughable. "Angels In Chelsea" is also a song which praises people doing good in an otherwise depressing world, but as an appeal to the hip crowd to make a change in their behavior the potential effect is minimal. There really is not enough in this record to give it a good recommendation. A few of the tracks are nice and with some tweaks might be something but as it is you can go ahead and avoid Wildfire.

4 out of 10