Patrick Parker is a blind musician from the great state of Louisiana who has been accepted into Berklee College’s singer-songwriter program in Boston. He loves writing and performing music for everyone around him, with a dream to make it into the music industry. Eighteen-year-old Patrick Parker has been playing the piano for about 11 years and also plays the guitar along with singing. There’s something in Patrick’s voice that’s hauntingly honest and real when he sings. Then again, so is life and the one that the singer-songwriter has lived thus far, is almost certainly worth documenting, especially when the songs supporting it are as stunning as his latest single, “Lovely”, for which the pre-order starts on June 26th and the release date is set for June 27.
Patrick Parker could define his strength as the ability to overcome his own vulnerabilities, and this quality is what stands out throughout his music. “Lovely” is not your average romp in the Americana-Pop landscape, though the typical theme of love and yearning certainly permeates the storytelling.
“Why is love so complicated? Most people just fake it. Day by day we need each other. Night by night we need a lover.” What’s different here, is the absolute honesty with which the story is presented: “You’re the only one who can heal my scars. When you’re around me, I can feel my heartbeat.”
Patrick Parker’s voice is crisp and full of passion while his prose and perspective is downright relatable, undeniable and rooted in a powerful truth about the way things are for him. This intensity never lets up for the duration of the record. Patrick paints vivid pictures with simple words which hit home.
Certainly he has no trouble searching deep within himself as he presents his feelings as a truth and fact of life. The result of his efforts is a celebration of the strength of his character, and like his personal sentimental journey, “Lovely” is narrative full of meaning which commands the listener’s full attention.
The first three quarters of the song depends almost entirely on Patrick’s resonant, and far reaching lead vocal and a strummed acoustic guitar, while the last few bars introduces some rich harmonies to accompany the lead voice.
It does not matter if you like this style of singer-songwriter music or not. If you can listen to “Lovely” without feeling something, you might want to test your pulse. Because whether or not you have experienced what Patrick Parker describes here, this story – his story – is universal.
It is hard to say exactly what makes “Lovely” so good – though Patrick’s voice may be a perfect place to start looking. In fact, musically, it is not trying to be innovative at all. There is nothing here you may not have heard before. But Patrick Parker clearly put deep thought into the songwriting and his performance. So as spare as the arrangement is, the song remains impacting.
The main attraction here, clearly is Patrick’s lyrics and vocals, and they are they captivating. Beyond his beautiful, heartfelt croon, is Patrick Parker’s ability to completely inhabit the song, to take it and thrust his entire being into it.
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