Jon Bellion’s latest album combines emotional ballads with funky pop songs to create an album for every generation of music listeners.
I will confess this upfront: I am a Jon Bellion fan. His alternative and unique style has drawn me in since I was a senior in high school, and I have been following him ever since. So of course, I have heard most of the songs on “Glory Sound Prep” album before, but not all of them, and not all the way through.
Something that really makes Bellion’s music pop is that there is always a story to be woven through the entirety of the pieces. In this album, Bellion tells the complicated but wonderful tale of growing up. From the opener being, “Conversations with My Wife,” in which he revealed possible breaking news to fans, to closing with “Mah’s joint” about the difficulty of losing a loved one, Bellion takes the listener through a variety of adult emotions.
One by one, what makes “Glory Sound Prep” explains that Bellion understands both the struggle and glory of becoming an adult all while keeping his musical genius intact.
Before getting into the album, for those who do not know Bellion, he is infamous for his alternative sound that leaves listeners questioning how he is making his music. He has put out a variety of behind the scenes videos where he reveals that every sound is from an instrument or board that he put together. He is not only a musical artist, but a production genius.
On one of his most pinnacle works, “Hand of God,” Bellion incorporated a variety of artists singing the chorus of songs on the album to create a mashup of his work. The sound is simultaneously overwhelming and satisfying—this is ultimately indicative of his work.
Not much changes as one travels through “Glory Sound Prep.” Beginning with the relatively repetitive song “Conversations with My Wife,” Bellion wrestles with the reality of having a relationship in the digital age and combines a type of funko-pop with electronic sounds to produce the piece. While definitely not a favorite on the album, it opens the listener to his main message: adulthood is hard.
The next two pieces are “JT” and “Let’s Begin,” which both talk about Bellion’s personal experiences with God influencing his life and his rise to fame. Emerging from these two songs are the perpetual themes that fame can be overwhelming and take people out from the real world. One line in “Let’s Begin” reads, “There’s a big difference between being known and being successful,” hitting home on this point explicitly.
From there, the albums slowest and most emotional song, “Stupid Deep,” expresses this point directly. The slow and meaningful song poses as Bellion’s deepest personal reflection and most relatable song.
With what I believe are the most powerful lyrics on the album, he asks, “Why has life become a plan to put some money in my hand when the love I really need is stupid cheap?”
As the album wraps up, “The Internet” and “Blu” focus on creating meaningful relationships in the real world and outside of the internet, which has revolutionized our world. He then speaks in “Cautionary Tales” about the missteps he wishes he could have avoided and concludes the album with “Mah’s Joint,” about watching his mother taking care of his dying grandmother.
As the album ebbs and flows from meaningful and slow to upbeat, it maintains its message that we must continue to live life in the real world and deal with the harsh realities brought about by becoming an adult.
Bellion is not shy from these themes, as can be seen in his other works that deal with relationships ending, coming to faith, struggling with fame, and depression. Every individual song on this album works together to tell a story and to remind people that there are greater things in life than fame and money, and to know that they are not alone in their feelings.
He has an unmatched ability to create an entire album where everyone believes they are a part of the song themselves at least once.
It is clear with this album that Bellion wants to move just from song production to score production for a Pixar movie, as he has suggested multiple times.
Though the tracks are all very produced, and uncomfortable to some, to the alternative listener, it is easy to appreciate that the moment you hear a song, you know Bellion wrote it.
Favorite Songs: “Stupid Deep,” “The Internet”
Score: 4/5
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