Renee Blair ‘Seventeen’ Album Review

Rising artist and songwriter Renee Blair dropped her debut album, Seventeen, today November 5, 2021. Blair’s album is stacked with some of Nashville’s best songwriters and producers including Jordan Schmidt, Kane Brown, Shane McAnally, Walker Hayes, and more. She has been featured on Spotify’s Hot Country playlist, Apple Music’s Today’s Country playlist, and was a member of the 2020 class of CMT’s Next Women of Country!

Seventeen is similar to a puzzle in the way that each song is a distinct piece, but when put together, they reveal who Renee Blair is as an artist. Blair pulls together influences from traditional-leaning country, pop-country, acoustic music, R&B/hip hop, rock, and dance music to make a signature sound of her own. The vocal arrangement of this album is a major standout, especially the warm background vocals and Blair’s vocal control. Listeners will hear her belt-out lyrics, sing in a more relaxed whisper-like voice, and hear soothing background vocals.

When describing the album, Blair says it is “a peek behind the curtain into all of the different experiences I’ve had; the heartbreaks, and falling in love, and all the in between.” Listeners will immediately notice that this record feels very personal and that is not a coincidence. Blair has co-writing credits on all but one of the songs on this album and makes every song on the album her own. There is a song for everyone on this album whether listeners are in love, heartbroken, missing their ex, or ready to take on the town.

Some of the more vulnerable songs on the project include “Soon As I’m Happy”, “Handsome”, “You Did”, and “Stronger Than Me”. Blair channeled her previous experiences to bring emotional vocal performances and powerful songwriting to this album. The production of “You Did” adds to the vulnerability by taking a “less is more” approach that lets Blair’s voice and her lyrics shine. The vocal performance of “Soon As I’m Happy” demonstrates the vocal power and control that Blair possesses.

Seventeen also showcases another side of Blair, a side that sounds like someone that would be fun to hang out with on a Friday or a Saturday night. Songs like “Heatin’ Up My Summer”, “Turn Up the Night”, and “Downtowned Up” are perfect for getting listeners ready for a fun night on the town. “Heatin’ Up My Summer” is a flirty song with a unique production style that will leave listeners on the edge of their seats. The acoustic version of “Heatin’ Up My Summer” is also a standout track. It manages to keep the fun vibe of the song while focusing mostly on the vocals and guitar.

Overall, Seventeen is an incredible introduction to Renee Blair. The project features some fan-favorites like “Heart’s In Your Head”, “Turn Up the Night”, and “You Did”. However, fans will certainly have more favorite songs after listening to the full project! With 21 million global streams, Renee Blair is poised to make an impact with her debut album.

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