Mary Lambert, a Seattle-based singer-songwriter and spoken word artist, released her studio album Heart On My Sleeve, on October 14th in the United States and quickly debuted to number 29 on the billboards 200.
Lambert first released her EP album Letters Don’t Talk back in 2012 and her second EP album Welcome to the Age of My Body in 2013. She is well known for her contributions to the gay rights single, Same Love, where she worked with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on the track for their album The Heist. She used what she gained from Same Love, to create one of her older songs She Keeps Me Warm, which was released back in 2013.
Heart On My Sleeve opens with the track Secrets, a song that clearly shows no secret to the openness Lambert expresses through her lyrics. She is neither afraid to let people know anything about her personal life and makes it clear that nobody should ever feel shameful about themselves. Secrets opens with the lyrics, “I’ve got bipolar disorder” and then goes on to say she wears mom jeans and is always late showing that she does not take herself so serious, but makes the song catchy and fun. Dear One, is one of Lambert’s spoken words pieces and another well-rounded piece as well. It opens with, “How can I spell your name without the sound of autumn underneath my tongue, without acknowledging the lovers who bent me in half?” Dear One, demonstrates her braveness in self- exposure setting out making her more noted than other open loving songwriters.
Perhaps it is Lambert’s song Body Love that has got people talking about her positive messages she is sending across the nation. She is an openly gay feminist who is open about everything; from her body to her feminist views through her vocals she conveys something so spectacularly warm. Lambert voices the (some would say) vulnerable, dark, deep topics some people tend to avoid expressing, however, Lambert stands strong with her words. The teenagers seem to be the most up spring from the lyrics, connecting to them more so then Lambert may have thought. A powerful line, “I only know how to exist when I am wanted” and that Lambert is trying to let people know that should not be the case, people should know how to exist and feel wanted to themselves without having someone tell or show them. Lambert touches about body shaming topics, and much more in hopes to show people that everyone has flaws, everyone is different, and nobody needs anyone to tell them how they should look because you (the person) should love yourself no matter what traits are flawed or not.
Some may suggest Body Love, for a more mature audience perhaps 13 and up for some of the content and openness of word choice from Lambert. Overall, between Lambert’s songs to spoken-words she demonstrated the braveness to be open without shame, to love yourself, be yourself and to not let other people determine your existence.
