Mary Lambert Puts Her Heart On Her Sleeve With New Album

Alexandra Kowal ’14 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

Mary Lambert is probably best known for writing and singing the hook in Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ song about gay rights, “Same Love.”

Heart On My Sleeve, Lambert’s newest album, debuted in October. She has previously released two EPs, Letters Don’t Talk and Welcome to the Age of My Body. The latter features “She Keeps Me Warm,” a song that expands upon the material she created for “Same Love.”

For her first studio album, Lambert released both a regular and a deluxe version. This review will examine Heart on My Sleeve (Deluxe Version), which includes three more songs than the original.

The general feel of the album is one of beautiful sadness. Lambert’s music evokes a multitude of emotions: love, longing, grief. It’s perfect to listen to for a good cry, although it has a few upbeat numbers, like “Secrets.” With haunting piano melodies and her impressive vocals, Lambert expresses a vulnerability not often found in your standard pop fare. Her work is of a highly confessional nature and that helps make it relatable. Heart On My Sleeve is a very apt title as Lambert puts her emotions on display in all these songs.

Yet, it is still undeniably a pop album. Though her voice and compelling lyrics tend to elevate the music a little, the songs often still follow the typical pop formula. Though pleasing to listen to, it’s not terribly experimental musically. But perhaps that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as certain songs are sure to get stuck in people’s heads. And the message Lambert sends will really have listeners thinking about important issues like mental illness, sexuality, and empowerment. On the biography she provided for her Amazon page, Lambert states, “I wanted to write a pop album that had profound emotional depth and interesting language, while being accessible and catchy.” She has achieved this goal with Heart On My Sleeve.

Lambert starts off with her single, “Secrets,” one of the catchiest songs on the album. It’s extremely upbeat with a good rhythm aided by handclaps. There’s also an awesome opera solo thrown into the mix, which manages to be both impressive and funny. The song seems to be made for singing and dancing, and its power anthem – “I don’t care if the world knows what my secrets are” – is an argument for empathy and openness, which might just make the world a better place. Plus, everyone has secrets, which made the single very relatable.

Many of Lambert’s songs share the opening track’s message of empowerment. In “Assembly Line,” the singer stresses she isn’t “a pretty machine in your assembly line.” In “Sum of Our Parts” she lets us know “we are more than our scars.” Though many songs on the album seem to have similar musical styles, there are a few that really stand out. “Dear One,” for example, is unique to the line-up because it is a spoken word poem in the midst of her songs. If Lambert didn’t perform it so passionately, it might seem really out of place, but its powerful imagery and message aligns with the rest of her album.

One of the more surprising songs was a cover of “Jessie’s Girl.” It was a slow ballad, very different from the rowdy Rick Springfield original. Lambert’s reimagining was a great twist, from a lesbian perspective. And the title track, “Heart On My Sleeve,” stands out with its harmonizing and chorus; like “Secrets,” it is sure to get stuck in a few heads.

But perhaps the most striking song of the album is “Ribcage.” It features Angel Haze and K. Flay, who add a unique sound. There’s even a rap portion in the middle of it. The song has a unique beat and a darker, more mysterious tone than the rest of the album. It’s not just somber, it’s almost threatening – the repetition of “open up my ribcage” conjures an image that conveys both vulnerability and gore.

Overall, Heart On My Sleeve (Deluxe Version) is mellow and melancholic, featuring great vocals and lyrics. Mary Lambert is off to a great start with her first studio album.