Granger Smith, Moonrise Review

Singer-songwriter Granger Smith is building anticipation for his upcoming movie by releasing his brand new album Moonrise. Smith provides the soundtrack for the latest AFFIRM Originals movie Moonrise with this album, as each of the twelve songs depicts the story from the film, which is set to release on December 15th. The film stars Smith in his film debut playing Will Brown, a former country singer who has pushed away his family, fame, and faith following his wife’s death. However, his daughter, Ellie (played by Piper Clurman), and a talented horse trainer (played by Sonya Balmores) show him strength, forgiveness, and grace to live life again. Smith says, “This is a powerful movie with a very relational message. Will is grieving his wife and cannot forgive himself for past decisions while trying to raise and protect his kids. He’s a complicated man carrying pain and guilt. But it’s not until he’s intentional about healing that he can move forward. It’s a brilliant story about redemption and forgiveness.”

Combining pop and pop-country elements, “Never Been” and “I Wanna” have catchy building melodies and a nice mix of electric and acoustic instruments. “Something Is Changing” follows a similar design with its mix of synths and acoustic guitars.

“Tailgate Church Pew” pulls in elements of contemporary Christian, with Smith’s warm vocals building with power through an arching melody augmented by a warm violin. The ending has the violin quoting “Amazing Grace,” which is a nice touch.

“Still Find You” shows Smith’s strong vocal skills as he easily navigates the jumps in the melody.

Overall, Moonrise has many high points and will certainly mean much more to fans when the movie comes out. The songwriting is solid but not very imaginative, just solid singing and songwriting. That’s the short of it!