Nashville’s David Borné chose not to shy away from some of life’s big topics on his debut LP, GENESIS. The title alone teases big things as he writes and sings about healing, death, and rebirth across the 13 tracks that make up the record. The opening track, “B4” is about yearning to change, while “Disembodied Voices” is about Borné dealing with his own mental struggles; and the delicately beautiful “Heaven, Eventually,” was conjured in a float tank on psilocybin with the singer thinking back on his grandmother who died when he was only two. The album’s heady topics are handled with enough charm and finesse that GENESIS avoids coming off too preachy or heavy-handed.
“Healing and growth is not a straight line, so the album plays a lot off the notion that joy and suffering, light and dark, learning and unlearning all take each other,” Borné says. The music is as sweeping as the topics. Especially on tracks like “I Became,” building up steadily for three minutes to a triumphant crescendo. The song is essentially an apology to his girlfriend for acting like an idiot over the years, while “Leave the Light On,” is one of the most compelling songs here musically.
Produced by Jarrad K (Ruston Kelly, Lucie Silvas, Elohim) and engineered by Grammy winner Gena Johnson (John Prine, Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton), Borné took full advantage of living in town with some of the country’s most talented side musicians and pulled in people like Bre Kennedy to duet on “Clarity” and had John Davidson and Jacob Bryant of The Brummies lend backing vocals on “B4.”
Funded by fans via a GoFundMe, GENESIS is an emotional debut that takes the listener through all manner of feelings, but it’s hardly a somber affair. There are enough moments of happiness and joy throughout to balance some of the heavier songs, ultimately making for a satisfying and important listen.
