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Reneé Rapp is a timeless multitalented performer, a star with a charismatic presence and powerful vocals that have made her a standout on Broadway, television, film - and in the recording studio. With her full-length album debut, Snow Angel, Rapp takes bold risks and achieves pop brilliance while crafting a deeply personal narrative that captures her most human emotions on her own terms.
Stand-out tracks: 'Talk Too Much' 'Pretty Girls'
My favorites: 'I Hate Boston' 'Snow Angel'
Groovy, grungy 'Talk Too Much' is full of vivid, self-deprecating imagery, as Rapp toes the line of a fragile relationship on the brink of destruction: "I'm here again/Talking myself out of my own happiness/I'll make it up till I quit." Its voicemail-style bridge is Rapp's stylistic identity out in full force, layering a messy narrative with powerhouse vocals.
Reneé's vocals shine the brightest on stripped-back ballads like 'I Hate Boston,' 'Gemini Moon,' and 'I Wish.' Whether she's mourning romantic love lost or the inevitable loss of loved ones, she soars through cutting lines like "How'd you make me hate Boston?/The whole thing is haunted/How do you sleep?" and softly glides with humility and sincerity through lines like "I wish I could still see the world through those eyes/Could still see the colors, but they're not as clear or as bright/Oh, the older we get, the colors, they change/Yeah, hair turns to gray, but the blue's here to stay."
The title track of Snow Angel begins unassuming, but by the time it transcends to its electric, goosebumps-raising second chorus, it stands out from Rapp's other ballads by its sheer power. The emotionality laced through, "The seasons change, addictions strange/I loved back then what I hate today/I wish I went a different way" - that's the force that will carry Reneé Rapp to the forefront of mainstream success.
Poppier tracks like 'Poison Poison,' 'So What Now,' and 'Tummy Hurts' fill out the tracklist with Reneé's bold flair. But if Reneé Rapp is going to get herself a massive hit, it's going to be synthy 'Pretty Girls.' The female anthem offers the nostalgic excitement and uncertainties that come with falling in love, especially when falling for one you know you can't have.
Despite the dramatic flair and boldness that characterize much of the album, Reneé Rapp wraps up Snow Angel with a poignant sense of maturity, humility, and promise for the future. In the final lines of '23' she sings, "I hope I'll see 24/ hope I'll understand more/I hope my bed is off the floor/I hope that I can care less/But I'm afraid to care less." By sharing her aspirations alongside her fears, Rapp concludes the project with a lingering sense of hope, which serves as a reminder that while boldness is essential, so is the strength found in our innate humanity.
AM I OBSESSED?
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