While the album starts out with the very strong title track, “Then Came the Morning,” the first real standout song in the collection is the second track, “Fake Roses.” It’s one of the strongest lyrical tracks I’ve heard in a long time.
It’s not until “Call to War,” Donhey gets her chance to take over as the lead vocalist, and her voice is just as strong as her fellow band members. She has a beautiful soaring voice in this powerful love song.
“Diners” is another standout track musically and vocally, though I’ll admit, it took some time for me to be able to fully understand the lyrics. If I had one nitpicking complaint, on this track, the music production was a slightly overpowering of the vocals which made it difficult to understand at points, however, it was slight, and minor when everything about the album is taken into account. Once I’d listened more than once, I was able to get past this minor hiccup and appreciate this phenomenal song.
The only other minor complaint I would have is that I would have liked to have heard a little more from Donehey as a lead vocalist. “Call to War” showcased her talent, but she didn’t get an opportunity outside of that song to take the lead. Does this detract from the album as a whole? No. And while Williams does a superb job as the lead vocalist, with her talent as a vocalist, Donehey should take the opportunity to step up to the microphone a couple more times and share that beautiful voice with the world.
It’s early in the year, but I’m sure this will be a candidate for my Top Ten albums of 2015. There is not a bad moment on the album, and the album also never feels like it’s repeating itself. Each song feels unique and original, and like time and effort were put into the songwriting.