Album: Can’t Hold The Light
Release Date: October 29, 2021
Genre: Americana
Can’t Hold The Light is the sophomore release from Newfoundland-based duo Quote The Raven. The duo is made up of Jordan Coaker and Kristen Rodden-Clarke. The new album arrives three years after the release of their debut record, Golden Hour, which earned them Music Newfoundland’s 2019 Group of the Year Award.
An impromptu trip to Nashville in 2019 set the wheels in motion for the sophomore record. Some of the topics discussed are love, hope, and blue-collar work, all of which are decorated in metaphors and colourful imagery. Can’t Hold the Light, is a summation of the journeys that the pair have experienced over the past three years.
Stand out tracks were “Love You The Best” an acoustic guitar and violin dominated track that portrays the protagonist trying to find a partner to trust again with the lines “you were the spark to light the fire in my chest my heart had hardened you lifted every burden you said I wanna love you the best not just better”.
“The Moth” is a slow jam featuring an emotional slide guitar with a 1970’s country vibe. The track is about the protagonist telling their partner that they will be there when they are needed.
What I took away from the release is how a couple deals with the trials and tribulations of their relationship. There are ups and downs, but they are going to be together forever.