Grace VanderWaal – Letters Vol 1

Release Date: November 22, 2019 via Columbia Records

Boy oh boy, what a time to be a Grace VanderWaal fan. As I’ve said previously, I was a little late to the GV party. This full-of-life-comet didn’t hit my radar until this past summer. That’s when I attended one of her shows in Detroit. Since then, Grace VanderWaal has released a steady dose of catchy and buzz worthy songs and is set to star in Disney’s Stargirl in the title role (which is set to be released sometime in 2020). I wondered when an album or EP would come out so I could hear more of the evolution of Grace.

Just like a comet blazing through the sky, she announced on her social media accounts that Letters Vol 1 was coming. There wasn’t a ton of notice but that’s cool. It sort of fits into her unpredictability of how many leaps forward her songs seem to jump every time she releases a new one.

Grace VanderWaal in Detroit. photo: Tommy Marz

Let me tell you something that I loved upon my first listen of Letters Vol 1. I love that she’s forging her own path and following it. What I mean is, she isn’t trying to sound like anyone else. She has her sound, her vocal characteristics and she expands upon those gifts throughout the entire record. It’s the little things she does that separates the lyrical lines of music. Example: Waste Of My Time – she sings lines 1 and 3 pretty straight but then she puts these quick little vibrato quivers on lines 2 and 4.

Runnin’ with you it’s like we’re in a memory

That we’ll try to forget when you grow up and leave

Walkin’ slow because the time’s been running far

Maybe I should grow up, leave you with a scar

She has so much control of not only her voice but also over the song. Little nuances like that go a long way into dictating a songs direction. You combine that with elite level production, you start to see that her music is destined to compete for space among the most played songs on streaming platforms as well as radio.

She released I Don’t Like You on October 18th and I was fan immediately and put a new album in my head space, in anticipation. I wrote about it here. Another thing she has done on this record that I like, is slightly introduce other musical influences, in spots. On the outro of the first song, Intro (Gucci Shoes), there’s a piano/snare drum combo that reminded me of something soulful as well as just a little jazzy. I dug that.

My choice of song to elevate VanderWaal up even higher is the mesmerizing Ur So Beautiful. This one stayed with me long after my first listen. The song has such a mature vibe to it, both vocally and musically. The dreamy synth and floaty-like reverbed guitar set the tone early on this one. Then there’s Grace’s delivery that almost becomes anthemic-like in the choruses. Hands down this is the one on this record.

The EP finishes with The City. I referred to this track as if Joni Mitchell and Thom Yorke from Radiohead got together and made this great song with a somber feel to it. I do feel like it’s a testament to what she’s doing and how she’s growing musically.

I would say this first of two EP’s, Letter’s Vol 1, is a demonstration of where Grace is headed and how bright her future looks going forward. Go latch onto this one quickly because the second volume could come at any moment. Unpredictable. That’s Grace VanderWaal and I wouldn’t expect anything less.

-Tommy Marz

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