Heidi Rickard - There Was A Child
Pop, Christian
Michigan, U.S.
Overall Impression: Michigan-based singer/songwriter Heidi Rickard delivers the gift of song this holiday season, with the release of her Christmas-themed original song "There Was a Child." This gorgeous downtempo track features a contemporary pop arrangement, blending melodic folk elements with a thoroughly modern approach to production in order to create a fresh and compelling sound that is sure to captivate audiences from all walks of life. Rickard's strikingly soothing vocal celebrates the miracle and joy of a new birth, while her lyrics comfortably straddle the line between Christian and secular music so as not to turn anyone away, and to spread her inclusive message of love and light as far as possible. That being said, Heidi Rickard's "There Was a Child" belongs on any and all holiday playlists this year, and for many more years to come. Look for Heidi Rickard's full length holiday album Peppermint Rendezvous, available now wherever you get your music.
Strongest Point(s): Amazing production, awesome mix. Excellent tonal balance and clarity. Brilliant arrangement and instrumentation, nice variations and dynamic builds. Great combination of organic and electronic elements. Outstanding beat design, love the choices of drum samples. Stirring melodies, particularly the chorus sections. Stellar vocal performance and production; very modern pop style and delivery that will play well with listeners of all ages. Powerful lyrical content; you really do manage to distill Christmas down to its one basic theme, which is the celebration of the birth of a child. Terrific imagery and use of repetition in the final refrain. Fantastic use of real audio to reinforce the theme there as well. All in all, this is a wonderful contemporary holiday song that should have no problem crossing over genre boundaries, thanks to a universally appealing sound and compelling subject matter. Sensational work on this one, by everyone involved!
Target Audience Appeal: Fans of Pop, Folk, Contemporary Pop, Contemporary Folk, Contemporary Christian Music, Holiday.
Artist target suggestions: Lauren Daigle, Joy Williams, Taylor Swift, Adele, Michelle Branch, Cheri Keaggy, Sara Groves, Amy Grant, Margaret Becker, Natalie Grant, Kari Jobe, ZOEgirl, Kathryn Williams, Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz
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About the Reviewer:
Steven Azami is a multi-instrumentalist with over 25 years of experience in the music industry. Both as a touring/session player and as a producer, his career has spanned nearly every genre from bluegrass to jazz, from rock to reggae. In addition, his work as a music educator has allowed him to cultivate and foster talent among the next generation of musical explorers.