The second single from Brenna Bone following on from last years "Outlaw Angels", sees Brenna tackling not only a big power ballad but also taking on a deeply serious subject in the shape of bereavement and doing it in a sensitive heartfelt way that will resonate strongly with anyone who has had to go through the process of losing a loved one.
Lyrically this song goes for the jugular from the off and immediately plunges the listener into a moving situation
"Knock on the church door flowers on the ground,
Black dress back in the closet now
Little more grass turned upside down than there was last week"
The writing continues in a similar vein building up the scene vividly by highlighting powerful images such as the "prayer card up in a picture frame", the reality of the situation nailed home by the line "Cold hard facts that I just can't change looking back it me".
If the first verse is very much the present the second fills in the details of just who is lost as we hear selected moments from their collected history.
"Pre school high school, heartbreak prom,
Beer in the basement hiding from your Mom
Made it through the worst times made it through the best
Thought you'd be here when we made it through the rest"
The crux of the song is summed in the chorus that universal feeling that those left behind inevitably ask
"What do I do now? that it's just me and I don't have you - my world stops but the earth still moves
What will it feel like going back to real life when you're all I can think about?"
Brenna pulls out all the stops vocally on this performance, the opening verse conveys that feeling of shock and sadness delivered almost matter of fact as if going through the motions as you do at such at time, the second verse sees a softer vocal as she reminisces, while the chorus perfectly captures the doubt and confusion that comes at such at time and is delivered powerfully as she makes clear the reality of the situation.
The two lines at the bridge that almost tumble out, as Brenna, so full of emotion sings
"Why do I ask you these things - when I know you can't answer me?" are delivered in a manner that really hits home just what this song means to her, and that final "What do I do now?" is simply heartbreaking.
Musically this is power ballad territory with the requisite big drums and guitars including a big eighties style solo that make a fine backing however in reality they play second fiddle to Brenna's performance, so commanding is it.