My Brightest Diamond

My Brightest Diamond
Student Activities Office

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$presenter.firstNameGroupName My Brightest Diamond

Shara Worden’s latest album, All Things Will Unwind is her most mature work yet. Informed by subjects ranging from Obama-era politics to her own motherhood, Worden weaves an album full of exquisite instrumentation and pristine vocals. Now we all get the privilege of seeing her perform her craft live with a full orchestra, something not too common in the music world.

Part of what makes this possible is Worden’s ability as an artist to remix and rework her music in various ways. She has done this before with Tear It Down, a remix album of her first LP Bring in the Workhorse, and now this Calvin performance features different arrangements of her latest album to accommodate a full orchestra. Her craftsmanship really comes into light here, illustrating she is in full control of her music. Her education in opera and classical music enables her to shape her music like this, while widening the scope of instruments and styles available for her music. The fusion of classical music and rock sounds unwieldy, but Worden pulls it off eloquently, with stylistic touches ranging from cabaret to pop, making for a truly unique experience.

No element of her music feels compromised or tacked on either, as she utilizes each style and instrument effectively to make a cohesive whole of her music. All Things Will Unwind showcases this trait perfectly; tracks like “Be Brave” or “Reaching Through to the Other Side” have intricate and complex instrumentation, the musicians in conversation with each other as Worden’s crystalline voice soars and softly caresses. Using strings is somewhat in vogue as a way to add dramatic weight to a song, but can often result in adding a simple layer of noise that may feel heavy-handed (think of the string use in Katy Perry’s “Firework.”) Instead, Worden draws upon her knowledge of classical music and integrates strings and other chamber instruments into her music when appropriate for the cohesive whole of her music.

Another trait arising from her musical background is her restraint; despite all the instruments, the production of her album never feels lavish or excessive, but the instrumentation is rather incredibly focused and, yes, controlled. Some arguments have been made that its this pristine nature of her music that makes making her music feel distant. However, one look at some of her lyrics illustrates incredibly her warmth and intimacy as an artist. Take “Reaching Through to the Other Side,” a song about becoming a mother:

Reaching through to the other side
I receive this body mine
From womb to grave
I now walk an ancient line
One foot follows the other
This stone, this finite place,
Is it limitless?
To touch the boundless
I hear a measureless rise
It seems so wondrous just to be alive

Worden not only talks about her own pregnancy here, but explores the subject in context of a grand march, limitless yet specific to everyone’s experience. Avoiding bombast and spectacle, Worden instead invokes the subject of motherhood through complex art-pop.

But her album not only explores the wonders of motherhood, but also herself as an artist. Her song “Be Brave” deconstructs herself as an artist, revealing perhaps why she uses such colorful theatrics as a performer:

I am a bird in water, a whale on sand
I am the flood, the fire, the oil spill
I'm feeling scared and I am overwhelmed
and so I don my mask and finger bells
Sh-Sh-Sh-Shara now get to work
Sh-Sh-Sh-Shara this is going to hurt
be brave dear one
be changed or be ye undone

This song not only illuminates her motivations and performance traits, but essentially deconstructs herself as a performer. There is an incredible intimacy crated when artists openly reveal their inner workings, Worden being one of them. If her incredible music, excellent accompaniment, and profoundly intimate lyrics aren’t enough to excite you for this concert, what will?

- Jacqueline Ristola

Presentations at Calvin University

Matisyahu and My Brightest Diamond
Part of the: Festival of Faith and Music
Thursday, April 7, 2011 09:00:00 PM
Covenant Fine Arts Center

My Brightest Diamond
Wednesday, November 5, 2008 08:00:00 PM
Ladies Literary Club

My Brightest Diamond
Saturday, November 10, 2007 08:00:00 PM