“Don’t Lose Heart” by Candace Asher

When was the last time you were truly exhausted? You were tired because you were carrying all the emotions of the day, you were worried about your family, your kids, your livelihood or your pets. The emotional baggage we carry isn’t always about a romantic breakup, it can be about the burden we (sometimes but not all the time) put upon ourselves. What gets you out of that funk, or that fatigue? Music. Songs like “Don’t Lose Heart” impose a silver-lining and a golden icing on life’s cake. Singer Candace Asher is a guiding force and a triumphant artist in this glorious new Americana-contemporary country hit. “Don’t Lose Heart” has you rooting and reaching for the stars – including the one in the mirror. 

Aiding the sonic composition is co-writer Dwight Liles (multiple Dove Award winner and nominee). Listeners can hear the release, the moment of utter content in Asher’s mezzo-soprano vocals. The pulse of this song – like the human heart – moves with forward mobility. Beneath Asher’s astounding vocals is a lovely mix of guitar (like a sweet varnish on an oak wood sound), kicking drums and a sunshine-like piano melody. It’s easy to hum along, to feel the song like you’re wrapping yourself into a blanket. Some might say the final mix is too perfect – for there are moments you can vaguely hear Asher inhale and exhale. If you listen closely, really listen, you might find yourself breathing with her like a yoga practice. This song teaches you to slow down, stop trying to do everything and hold onto the past. It’s about finding the way through the muck and creating a sense of confidence and peace. Don’t lose heart, that’s what kept you going this far, Asher sings in the chorus. 

MORE ON CANDACE ASHER: https://www.candaceasher.com/

The chorus vocal arrangement is grand, but not so over-the-top Asher loses the listener with the other lyrics in the song. She’s consistent and saves the higher vocal ranges towards the end of the song. I liked the tempo of the song and it made me think of the (very) simple adage: don’t quit. We hear that with sports and memes across Facebook every day. It’s one thing to see those words, and it’s a whole other experience to hear them in a different way from an exciting artist such as Asher. It’s even better when you get that new spin on an everyday thing. Liles and Asher are really tuned into the human psyche and the human experience. You can tell they really put a lot of backstory and thought into “Don’t Lose Heart”. It really shines through. 

“Don’t Lose Heart” is a ballad. In my eyes and ears, though, it fueled me. It amplified my emotions and gave me far-reaching hope. I can’t gush enough about this song and the way it carried me into another atmosphere. Just let it go…just surrender to Asher’s country peppered harmonies. “Don’t Lose Heart” is what happens when a great singer and a great songwriter come together to make sincere music. 

Michael Rand

The music of Candace Asher has been heard all over the world in partnership with the radio plugging services offered by Musik and Film Radio Promotions Division.  Learn more https://musikandfilm.com