Album Review: Hozier Build A “Wasteland, Baby!”

“OOOoooOOOOooooOOOOO, YESSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” is what I said as Hozier dripped his voice over new album, Wasteland, Baby. There is no denying that Hozier has a voice that makes even Nature listen to him. I swear trees use his voice when they need to hear something to make them grow. (lol!) Well, be happy trees! Wasteland, Baby!, coming out March 1, is growth for Hozier, as well.

Hozier infuses gospel, folk, pop, blues, and rock into a sacred, sonic conglomerate and amplifies that such a union is consistently sellable. He recognizes the magic of his voice and sound and turned Wasteland, Baby! into his confident affirmation. Tracks like, “Be,” “To Noise Making (Sing!),” “Movement,” and “Nina Cried Power” have Hozier singing to the socio-politics of culture, class, and oppression. For him, there is no such thing as “hiding from society” despite living in a world that makes certain peoples become hidden. Yet, Hozier has a voice that makes Truth ring like church bells.

Frankly, I am obsessed with Hozier’s vocality, in part, because no one sounds like him, which is why I love that he sings for all. He uses his lyrics to reach out to the everyday person that can feel forgotten because they don’t “Talk Refined.” Thus, his voice feels like a rise to every soul that has become exhausted by a world refusing to see he or she is apart of it. From “Sunlight” to “Nobody,” Hozier spreads his range from a soft lull to a roar; allowing his record to have every sentiment that makes you a revolutionary and a romantic. Moreover, similar to RY X, Hozier has made an album that demands to be heard live.

Listening to the quietness of “Shrike” or the kicking bassline of “No Plan,” I could not stop imagining a mesmerized, packed crowd. Every song in this album demands to be blasted in speakers, especially because Hozier knows how to make a guitar melody feel vast and clear. He can make a guitar rouse or relieve your heart, which makes its union with his voice unstoppable. For More Information on Hozier Click Here.