Brandon XIV – One Year (Album Review)

Once in a while, we get interesting submissions of albums that do not fit the traditional perception of what an album is, delving into the often cerebral territory of spoken word poetry. These bodies of work tend to have an elaborate narrative and a story, combining the talent and neurology behind writing as well as audio production. In today’s review, we will explore an artist named Brandon XIV with his newest release titled ‘One Year’.

Brandon XIV is an acclaimed film director, producer and an artist who has been a live poetry performer since 2009. He is also highly regarded in his field of work, having earned over 50 international awards for his efforts. The release also features the 4-time Tony Award-winning actor and producer LaChanze, known for her role of Celie in the Broadway rendition of ‘The Color Purple’ as well as her voice work in the animated film Hercules. Both LaChanze and Brandon collaborate in this project, putting the best efforts from their respective domains to create a paradigm shift in the field of spoken word poetry.

The album, released under The Mad Ones Productions, is thematically a concept album of a dozen individual poems coming together to form the tapestry of a story of a man who’s convinced that suicide is his only option, deciding to give himself one year to find a reason why life is worth living. It is described as a candid portrayal of the inner monologue of a person battling suicidal thoughts and despair. It comes from a place of a personal story, that felt true to Brandon’s own experiences. In his own words, he stated that when he looked back at the poems he wrote for a particular year, he saw a man unknowingly writing in a state of deep depression- forming the heart of the album itself.

‘One Year’ is a statement of solidarity and resilience that also marks a fresh spin on the tradition of spoken word poetry. It speaks out loud the inner thoughts and feelings that those who struggle with mental health are often too afraid to utter. The aim of the album is to also provide the audience with a narrative of the internal battle of mind that is relatable, and also comforting. Each poem is accompanied with unique instrumental elements, and the compositional intent reflects the mental state of a person going through the roller-coaster emotions associated with suicidal depression. It shifts from warm strings and hand drums representing hope to cold machine drums and synths reflecting darker times. In true audiobook fashion, the use of film FX and sound design furnish the album. Lastly, personal touches such as the sound of the Poet’s breath and tears are retained in the album, hoping to preserve the essence of live spoken word poetry itself.

The album definitely puts you through a journey, a journey that is extremely personal and also engaging. Captivating, almost. With each verse you can paint a picture of what the artist intended to portray, even with the metaphors and the analogies. Through each track, you can definitely feel the wave between tension, derision, and contemplation, but also sparks of serenity and candor.

Brandon XIV weaves through multiple nodes of talent throughout the course of the album, with his quite obvious skill for writing shining within the audio recordings itself. It isn’t just the art of translating his thoughts, observations and dilemmas to word and then regurgitating them- as the paradox of the track ‘Language Is a Poor Delivery System for Thought and the limits of language and logocentrism itself states, but the sheer delicacy and intent behind each word, utterance, enunciation and rhythm.

Brandon also shines as a narrator and an oratory performer as well, varying his cadence and tone throughout each piece, fitting the urgency behind certain lines as well as concepts throughout the poems in this album. I also have to note that he does also possess a musical quality to his narration, complementing the music production in this album.

Speaking of music production, I’ll definitely give it to this album for great mastering and compositional intent. Even though it is spoken word poetry, there were some instances throughout listening to this album where I felt like as if I was listening to a song. The panning, choice of musical motifs, and mastering completely enhanced the experience. It did not overshadow any aspect of the poetry, but entirely elevated it. This shows great showmanship and technical prowess on the technical side of this work.

I think this album will definitely tug on your heartstrings and make you reflect on the state of things as a person goes through the chaos of depression and how it essentially colors the world, revealing itself in states and arrangements that one would not usually expect. It made me feel closer to the body of work, as a listener, and it definitely is relatable.

The various stages of blame, the hypersensitivity that evades certain personality types… various tropes of perception when it comes to how different people view the world do come out while you’re listening to this album. You’ll understand the artist, but not just the artist. You’ll understand yourself, and everyone around you. It is dark, but it is reality. The reality is that some people are too afraid to project. However, there will always be a hand on your shoulder to help you understand the way that you feel… and ‘One Year’ will certainly be that.

Score/Excellent: ‘One Year’ is a wonderful groundbreaking album that shatters the line between music, spoken word poetry and an audiobook. It will have you swayed with the intensity of emotion it emanates, sandwiched between great mastering, musical themes as well as a never-ending tapestry of metaphors.

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