Spotlight: Mark Hildreth

So I thought I would change things up a bit and a post about my newest favorite musician (and actor): Mark Hildreth. You can find him at his website. I was first drawn to Mark because of his character, Joshua, on V. If you follow the blog at all, you know I am rather annoyed with the writers from wiping his personality. But, I’m a little less pissed at them since they gave it back last week. So I was Googling Mark when I found out he was also a musician. I’ve found several musicians that I like from their acting gigs (Christian Kane for example) so I thought I’d check Mark out. I got his album on iTunes and fell in love. His fan base from what I can tell is relatively small and I wanted to help spread the word. So I thought I’d take the time to discuss his album with you all.

Track 1: Magic Spell

Favorite Lyrics: “I’m gonna live my life like there’s no one to blame. Wasting time is a crying shame.”

This is song is upbeat and a lot of fun. It may be slightly auto-tuned but that’s okay. It has a decent drum beat and both the verse and chorus are well within Mark’s vocal range (always a plus). You don’t hear a lot of the piano on this track (his main instrument) except for little interludes between verse and chorus. The interludes are a nice hook from the vocals though. There are also some strings used for the accompaniment which I find interesting. You don’t often find strings in many pop songs these days, especially since Mark doesn’t play it. He says often that he’s a mix of Stevie Wonder and Elton John and I can see it. His sound is very laid back and you can tell he enjoys the music. As for lyrical content, I think the song is focused very squarely on love. About how the narrator would change the world for the person he loves but at the same time he’s going to live his life to the fullest and how he wants without regret.

Track 2: Siddhartha

Favorite Lyrics: “If we can see beyond that river. If we can see beyond that river. If we can see beyond that water in our way, we will see the blue skies of a brighter day.”

Where “Magic Spell” was just kind of a slightly upbeat number, “Siddhartha” is about five times more upbeat. It’s got a funkier beat and a great piano intro. It doesn’t hurt that I’ve seen the music video for the song and it is hilarious and goofy. But the song does a great job of balancing the fun tempo and chord progressions with the third verse about Siddhartha. It is nice to see that while it seems pretty clear that Mark is Christian of some sort, he believes enough in faith in general to acknowledge the best parts of other religions. In fact, in terms of where the album title (Complex State of Attachment) came from, this song ties in most. It finds wisdom in the philosophy of the Dali Llama about love.

Track 3: It’s My Life

Favorite Lyrics: “But if I’m not living my own life, who can? It’s my life that I’m living in. Though I’ve tried pretending it’s not. But my life I’ve found is the only thing I’ve got.”

Upon further reflection, this song is a little lower down on my favorites. I love the whole album for sure but this one is just not quite as good as the others. The gist of the song (as the lyrics above suggest) is accepting the life you have to live because if you don’t live it, no one else will. I’m not sure if it’s a combination of a slightly sad idea mixed with such an upbeat sound that bothers me but it is definitely something that isn’t there with a lot of the songs. Again, Mark knows his vocal range well enough to stay within it. Though there are times he gets perhaps a few notes too high. I tend to like him more when he’s in baritone range. We definitely get more piano in this track and it has an intriguing interplay during the chorus where Mark will sing a line, play a counter melody, sing a line, counter melody. He studied music a little bit when he was younger but for someone who didn’t spend years and years learning all the music theory stuff, he has a great ear.

Track 4: Ready to Fall

Favorite Lyrics: “There’s so many reasons for me to believe that I don’t deserve what I got. And what’s scaring me the most is wondering if you’re ready to fall in love or not.”

This is one of my favorite songs on the album. It is much more laid back than the rest of the album, mainly because it is piano, vocals and some light percussion. Some violins come in later on but they are so understated that it just make sense and feels natural. It doesn’t hurt that I’ve seen him in a video performing this live with just keyboard and some drums. While I said that “Magic Spell” was about changing the world for the one you love, this song is about being ready to take the big step in a romantic relationship. When he’s saying he’s worried about whether the other person is ready to fall in love, he’s saying that he’ll be ready whenever. In a way, I think this could be a good song to do as a first dance at a wedding, perhaps.

Track 5: Love Will Make It Certain

Favorite Lyrics: “It’s far too far beyond me, how love decides to last. I try but it keeps slipping through my hands.”

I think this song could have been a little shorter and have done well if it was only acoustic (with vocals and piano). As it is, it has drums, guitar and some backing vocals during the chorus. I like the concept of the song, though. That love can make anything better is an admirable notion. As I listened to this song again, I found it kind of interesting that most of the piano is just chords instead of a moving bass line until near the very middle and towards the end of the song. Just using chords is not a bad thing at all. Just an interesting way to approach this particular song. I do feel that some of the reverb and background vocals take away from the song during the chorus (even though Mark is doing some of the additional backing).

Track 6: Here I Am

Favorite Lyrics: “Here I am, on my own. I can never go back home. Here I stand, here’s my heart and I’ve never gone this far. I want to see you for who you are.”

Right off the bat, I love the hook and riff to this song on the piano. The riff keeps moving throughout the whole song. Not only is the piano a nice progression, but the chorus and verses melody-wise are structured well. They feed off the instrumentation of the piano and to some extent the drum beat in a way that makes the song seamless. There’s less backing vocal in this song and it seems to blend better with Mark’s voice. Sometimes in other songs it stands out a little and distracts from his voice.

Track 7: Little Life

Favorite Lyrics: “If I die before we wake. If my earthly soul they take. I’ll show the mighty army what it’s meant to be.”

I think this is really the only song on the album that is really melancholy and haunting. The key of the song isn’t really minor (not entirely) but the lyrics combined with the chords Mark does use, make it very sad. The song talks about going to war and how one life isn’t any more valuable than any other. I think it’s fascinating that first part of the chorus (which comes before the verse this time which is something we haven’t seen much on the album) is taken and slightly altered from an 18th century children’s prayer. Even though this song too has background vocals it seems to fit the mood of the song more. It’s almost like soldiers marching off to war and finding strength in numbers. I think it shows that Mark can handle both happy and sad songs and has enough knowledge of music composition to set the right mood. Since there isn’t an even mix, I can’t say whether Mark’s voice is more suited to melancholy or upbeat.

Track 8: Beauty Of It All

Favorite Lyrics: “I’ve known love. I’ve known pain. And I’m lucky that I’ll know them both again. I just believe I hear the call. And I know that there’s a beauty to it all.”

I think the thing that sets this song apart from the rest of the album is that you can tell fairly clearly that he was playing the piano part on a keyboard set to organ (or something similar). I think this is one of my favorite songs because of the lyrics. They’re beautiful (no pun intended) and really speak to just recognizing the inherent beauty surrounding us every day; in the people we know, in the things we say and do. I do have to say I feel Mark was a little out of his range in this song. He was a little too low and it sounded like he was bottoming out just a touch.

Track 9: You In Me

Favorite Lyrics: “You’re a hero. You’re everything I want to be. You’re a hero. You’re all that I said I need. I see a hero. But there’s one thing I could not see. How would I know you’re a hero if I couldn’t see you in me?”

This is just a feel good song. I think the vocals could have been a little more balanced with the instruments but overall, it is a great song. The chorus is so beautiful and romantic. The notion that this other person can bring out the best in you is just so heartwarming. We also get the piano going into the upper register which is something we don’t hear all that often. Mark tends to stay more in the middle of the keyboard. We also get a lot more movement in the piano part in this song. It also has an interesting cadence with the emphasis on the 2 and 4 instead of the 1 and 3. Not something you see a lot in pop music (it is usually more emphasis on the 1 and 3 beats). Plus, the major difference with this song is that we get a fade out. Not that important but I think it is something to note.

Track 10: I Just Wanna Love Someone

Favorite Lyrics: “Such hatred in this world that I never thought I would see. It’s our choice to love or hate, it’s up to you and me. For now, forever, for the world that we treasure. I just wanna love someone.”

This song reminds me of songs that are written for worldwide crisis events, like Live 8 (or Glee). The only issue I have with this track is that every now and then Mark’s pronunciation gets a little sketchy and you can’t understand the words. But I have to say, regardless of that fact, the entire song has such a great feel and the lyrics are so poignant that I had a hard time picking my favorite lyrics for this post. It’s really encompassing everyone out there in who the message is supposed to reach. It really is about everyone in the world loving each other. It reminds me actually of Michael Jackson’s “Heal The World”. Not in tone or anything, but the message is similar. I think of all the songs, this would be the song I would most like to see Mark perform live. Get the audience involved. I think it could be a really moving and powerful moment.