After wrestling with a major label and losing, Jeremy Casella has independently released his latest album, Recovery. I'm always hesitant about reviews using the phrases "groundbreaking" or "artistic leap," but the words are warranted in this case. Up until now, Casella has largely dwelt in the folksy singer/songwriter mold with only slight pop leanings. However, it’s on Recovery that Casella takes the giant artistic leap.

One of the first things to strike the listener is the sense of hope permeating the album. The presence of strings and horns adds a warm depth that takes Jeremy well beyond the folk influence. His use of electronics is understated and tasteful rather than distracting. Splashes of static interweave horn melodies and string accompaniments. None of it is simply an add-on, every piece has been lovingly woven together by an artist truly coming into his own. The album occupies the sonic landscape that many people wish Wilco had remained in after Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Pop influences from the Beach Boys and The Beatles to Radiohead coexist with folk and even classical elements, all mixed with nods to Neil Young. Yet it all works as a coherent artistic statement rather than a mish-mash of random experimentation.

Lyrically, the album is Casella's least "explicitly" Christian, though it begins and ends in the “hands of God” and His presence is a constant. Jeremy mines the difficult times of life without being cliché and relationships play heavy in the album's themes, not only the difficult endings (“The Space Between Living & Dying” -- Well I read the note you left me; Love is stronger than the ways we say goodbye) but hopeful beginnings (“Born Again” -- I was fine to leave it all undone/ Until I looked in the eyes of my own son/ And everything was born again...) and the everyday struggles of love (“Darkest Night” -- Our love burns brighter than this dark cloud). Through it all runs the thread of hope and redemption carried musically by the soaring strings and horns.

Though some might want more "explicitly Christian" content, Casella presents truth and beauty as a coherent whole and the hope of Christ certainly remains the constant through his explorations of some of life's dark times. He applies the Gospel to many of life's most poignant moments and for that he must be thanked. Biblical allusions abound on songs like “The Curse” (I'm lonely like Adam and I'm angry like Cain) for those with ears to hear.

Musically the album has natural hooks that gradually build and never seem forced. The strings and horns function as an organic part of the music, carrying you along rather than feeling tacked on as a gimmick while the electronics add depth and texture. Casella’s melodies and lyrics are strong throughout and work together, making this truly an album rather than a mere collection of songs. Inventive percussion elements simply enhance the tone rather than distract.

Casella has created an album that is immediately familiar, but not as if you've already heard what he has to say.The album feels comfortable, warm and inviting, like an old friend. Yet, like many great albums, it reveals more with every listen, whether a hidden melody, or a turn of the phrase. This is an album that is rich in detail but not overwhelming; comfortable but not obvious. Jeremy Casella has taken a great artistic leap and I highly recommend making that jump with him.

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