SONG REVIEW 🎵📝 SeeingWithTheHeart - O Come All Ye Faithful
SeeingWithTheHeart - O Come All Ye Faithful
Piano, Holiday
Arizona, U.S.
Overall Impression: With its delicate expressiveness and intimate sense of atmosphere, Susie Fowls approaches “O Come All Ye Faithful” not as a performer delivering a well-worn Christmas classic, but as someone gently unwrapping a cherished ornament, holding it to the light, and discovering new colors within it. Her piano work feels almost like a quiet conversation between her hands and the keys, each note arriving with deliberateness and tenderness. Susie’s delicate touch is the guiding force of the performance. Rather than leaning on grandiosity or overt sentimentality, she allows the subtle emotional currents of the piece to breathe on their own. The way she shapes each phrase—letting some tones bloom while letting others fade —reveals the minute details and emotive intricacies that often lie hidden beneath more declarative interpretations of the hymn. It is reverent without being rigid, expressive without being ostentatious, and crafted with a sensitivity that invites listeners into a quiet, contemplative space.
Strongest Point(s): While she honors the original’s sense of reverence and gentle majesty, Susie also leaves unmistakable fingerprints on the arrangement. A few gentle rhythmic liberties—small hesitations, unexpected breaths, delicate syncopations—add a sense of personal reflection, as if she’s quietly rediscovering the hymn’s meaning in real time. These are the choices that make the cover distinctly hers, not through showmanship but through sincerity. Susie's dynamic and tonal control is where the magic truly gathers though. She moves from near-whispered pianissimo to warm, glistening swells with the ease of someone who understands not just the mechanics of the instrument, but its emotional vocabulary, and her rhythmic flow never feels rigid—it breathes, expands, and contracts in ways that feel organic and heartfelt, ensuring the listener is gently swept up by the music in a way that feels wholly natural and organic.
Target Audience Appeal: This is a delightful arrangement of a Christmas staple and it's sure to resonate with many a piano music lover.
Artist target suggestions: Andres Martin, Becky Ainge, Yiruma, Matt Willier, Jave Lobe, Mirko Dukanovic, Oscar Pascasio, Claude Armand, Dulpe Demel, Javier Escudero
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About the Reviewer:
Andre is a freelance session guitarist, composer, and sound engineer based in the U.K. Having studied music production and composition at a degree level, he has taken his passion for all things audio-related to a level that has allowed him to become both a competent musician and performer. Being a self-confessed "Guitar Nerd" Andre has been continually studying the guitar as well as teaching it, helping students learn the instrument, develop their songwriting, and become proficient in home recording.
