Album Review: Seasons by Natalie Grant

We don’t always have the privilege of experiencing an artist’s favorite music or sharing in their highs and lows in life. But nine-time GRAMMY nominee Natalie Grant lets us in to share the music that shaped her heart and career with her latest album, Seasons.

Seasons is a unique sort of cover album because it’s composed of songs that helped Natalie through some of the most challenging times of her life and are performed with some of the most notable names in the music industry.

Natalie says, “Sometimes you hear the word ‘cover record,’ and it has this connotation of ‘Oh, it’s a filler record between the last originals records and whatever’s next,’” Grant says. “But there’s no filler record with this — this is my life record.” These are the songs that helped Grant through the ups and downs of her own life, including her battle with thyroid cancer and anxiety.

Music and Production

Seasons is recorded in a light-pop style with clear Gospel influences. Natalie has an amazing ability to seamlessly blend in with a variety of performers, from the celebrated Dolly Parton to the renowned Cece Winans, with ease. Don’t miss the other musical greats such as Mary Mary, Tauren Wells, Cory Asbury, Jonathan McReynolds, and Natalie’s own family.

Natalie’s powerhouse vocal ability shines as she puts her own spin on classic songs she enjoyed throughout the different seasons of her life. It’s notable that although the album includes a variety of different songs and artists, the music and uplifting theme are cohesive and consistent, making for a beautifully composed arrangement of songs.

Standout Songs

This full-length album includes nine tracks:

1. In Christ Alone
2. You Will Be Found (with Cory Asbury)
3. Shackles (Praise You) (with Mary Mary)
4. We Will Stand (with Tauren Wells & Jekalyn Carr feat. CAIN)
5. My Tribute (To God Be The Glory) (with CeCe Winans)
6. Step By Step (with Dolly Parton)
7. I Need You
8. Another Time, Another Place (with Jonathan McReynolds)
9. Bridge Over Troubled Water (with Tasha Cobbs Leonard)

These tracks share a common focus on moving forward and uplifting each other. They are soothing, stirring, and exciting, too, as they blend together a variety of songs, both sacred and secular and a variety of voices. Natalie does a great job at preserving the originality of the cover songs while giving them her own modern flair.

In My Tribute (To God Be the Glory), you’ll find Natalie Grant and Cece Winans belting out Andre Crouche’s timeless classic. While churches and soloists have sung this song for many years, it gets new life breathed into it on this album.

Originally made famous by Whitney Houston, Natalie reclaims Step by Step by recording it with none other than the infamous Dolly Parton. Natalie says, “In 1996, ‘Step By Step’ is a song I would blast on cassette in my beat up Volkswagen Golf as I drove to my job at Medicare,” shares Grant. “The dream when I moved to Nashville was music, not Medicare, but I had to do what was necessary to keep going. This song was my reminder to keep putting one foot in front of the other. If you would’ve told me then that one day, I would not only be recording this song, but doing it with an International icon, I never ever would’ve believed it.  I still can’t believe it.”

Paul Simon’s Bridge Over Troubled Water is another perfect fit for this uplifting album. Sung with Tasha Cobbs Leonard, you can’t miss the 1970s feel punctuated by light sticks, rock organ, and gloriously matched vocals.

Final Thoughts

Seasons is a slightly retro-but-still modern pop-style album with clear Gospel influences. It’s full of songs  – both Christian-oriented and “secular” – that will soothe your soul and uplift your heart on your good and bad days. These collaborative pieces are impeccably performed with beauty, grace, and the vocal power of some of today’s best artists in a cohesive and well-crafted album.

More

I love these collaborations with other notable artists, giving us a sense of unity that is so needed in the world today. And the combination of old songs and new styles show us how we can find common ground no matter what our age or differences.

Less

These are powerhouse songs sung by Natalie and a variety of powerhouse vocalists, but musically, they would benefit from a little more bass to keep them feeling grounded.