Sarah Brusco – The Woven Whisper review

I have an opinionated viewpoint when it comes to worship music. It’s contrived, dull, uninspired and filled with “Christianese”. Now that I’ve said it and posted on the net for the world to read, I can’t take it back. Throw stones if you want, I’m ready for the backlash.

It’s rare to find any innovators in this style of music, however, Sarah Brusco has the ability to change my negative views. Her new album, The Woven Whisper, is musically fresh, yet maintains enough nuances of traditional worship to not frighten off the artistically unaware.

Delicately smooth and dreamy vocals overlay a musical bed that could be likened to a blending of Sigur Rós, Kye Kye, and Julianna Barwick. Sarah expands the sound of The Woven Whisper with it’s relaxed pace. The songs are allowed to build to unhurried completion, with the majority of  songs coming in between six to ten minutes. Her fabulously smooth vocals are a true gift for the listener.

The only downturn of The Woven Whisper are the lyrics. While the songs are musically challenging, lyrically they tend to remain true to typical worship. My hope is that Brusco will continue to hone her craft and develop deeper lyrical content to augment the beautiful compositions.

So what is The Woven Whisper? Dream pop? Shoegaze? Post-rock? Yes, and a much more. Brusco is a rare artist. One who is willing to challenge the traditions of worship music. My thanks go to Sarah Brusco for breaking the musical norms by stretching worship music to a new level of artistry.