Hey my friends. I’m very surprised that this album reaction made it through. All six songs on my reaction got red flagged by the label. I disputed all of them, but wasn’t expecting much. And then, in a blink of the eye they let the whole reaction go through. I’d like to think that somehow Grace heard about my travails and said, “hey, let this Dax dude do his shit. Got that?” LOL Hope y’all enjoy

Great reaction, Dax. I am with you on your every word. My sister is 6 years older than me, so came of musical age in the early 60s. She did the whe surf thing, cheerleader thing, and was wildly popular. Her favorite band was The Beach Boys. I can remember all their early hits blasting away on our huge RCA Console; In My Room, I Get Around, Little Deuce Coupe, Don't Worry Baby, etc...etc..... my sister couldn't get enough. She reveled in everything they sang about. Then Brian Wilson came out with Pet Sounds. My sister was crushed. For a while. It took a while for everyone to catch on that Brian had made one of ghe greatest albums in history. Grace shifts gears with the best of them. Ray Charles going Country, Dylan going electric...... I think she's gonna be the gift that keeps giving for the rest of my life......and beyond. Music is in good hands.

Gucci Shoes (Intro)- Love it, love it, love it!!! You’re right, I can’t think of anything else like it. And she was 15 here? The only thing that it kind of reminds me of are songs like A Day in the life or Band on the run or Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey. Songs that are almost like Three or four songs in one. And it’s even different than those. But there are lots of twists and changes like with those songs. I’ll tell you I truly believe that if she ever hunkers down, and gets really really serious about her music and her talent she could make songs like that. She’s got in her to do classics like Yesterday, and she has it in her to do I am the Walrus (yes I’m a Beatle fan. They’re such a great form of reference.) She has to know she can do that thought!!! Hope to god she gets that kind of encouragement!

And Emma Kook to you list. She is amazing. Orchestra version

I don't know how this video slipped past the algorithm But I am here now. I have long since run out of superlatives for this happy little genius, so I will skip that part! I am just happy that my car is old enough to have a CD player. I think everyone forgets a few key facts-her career is not about you-it is about her! She said she wanted to play small clubs in NYC, and she is-so let her fulfill this fantasy. She still has 50 years to fulfill yours.-Of course you will not be there-oh well-that's life.

Thanks Dax I’m a little tired of waiting for new songs or another album from grace love her voice and I still listen to her 2 albums there the best ,she does seem to be fading maybe by choice I don’t know Your reaction on Grace were great happy new year to you and your family

I remember hearing ‘You’re so Beautiful’ for the first time, I was blown away. It was like the first or second song I heard after the Just the Beginning album songs. I couldn’t believe how mature it sounded. And the melody was so great. This was like the beginning of her next area of music, and we were all nervous about what it was going to be like, and WOW! To me, it was far better than I even expected. And I expected a lot. Because it’s Grace. I also love the middle part of the song so much - …who do you think you are… that part. It’s so disconnected from the main verses and chorus. By itself is sounds nothing like the rest of the song, but she makes it work. It’s like how ‘Day in the life’ goes into ‘woke up, fell out of bed…’ and then back to ‘I read the news today oh boy…’ She makes it work

I’ve just decided to comment on everything you’re commenting on 😁. I like the album title also. I like, also, how she uses Roman numerals and how, even though this one is volume I, she still puts the II up there, but circles only the I. So, it seems like she’s telling us to expect a second volume. But now that it’s been 4 years, will she honor the II part? It’s been so long now she may not, and I love that. It’s just an unfinished thing that can’t be explained. Such a rock star thing to do. Or maybe she’ll remember that she did that and 20 years from now she’ll put an album out just like this but with a circled II. Remember how McCartney did his self titled album in 1970? And then in 1980, I think did McCartney II. And then 40+ years later does McCartney III. Anyway, something like that.

I feel your pain Dax. When I think about it too much I just wanna lose my marbles. It’s so frustrating to wait on what comes next with her. I want to blame other people, but maybe it’s her. Maybe she’s too critical of her art to ever consider it finished. That sounds like her. How do you fix that? The only thing I can think of is friends and family, and people she’s in business with would hopefully feel like we do and tell her how absolutely wonderful her music is, and that she must put it out. I just hope and pray someone is saving every morsel of what she’s done so it can be, at least, revisited when it finally does get appreciated like it should. Even by her. Sometimes I don’t think she even realizes the unbelievable talent she is. I truly believe that some of what we call genius just rolls out of her head like it was nothing, and so she doesn’t realize what unique little melodies she’s just created and just forgets about it. Or she just blows it off thinking ‘ah, that was nothing, I can do so much better’. And if she does that every time, then we never get anything finished and produced. I mean, c’mon, when she can improvise great melodies and lyrics on the spot, time after time, then to her, she doesn’t take what she’s already done serious enough- ‘eh, I was just goofing off, it’s not that good’. US: ‘um, yes it is Grace’ FINISH IT AND RELEASE IT!!! 🙂. Anyway, I’m just guessing on this, but I’ve watched her enough now that what I’m saying does sound like her. And Dax, as great a fan as you are, she may have even dozens and dozens more of little snippets and ditties that could be something substantial. Just in the last couple months she’s put out quite a few samples of covers and original’s I don’t think you’ve even reacted to yet. Her creativity never stops. She’s a bottomless pit. OR maybe we can blame others. Remember in the famous July video of 2021, (‘where were you on July 2021, when Grace VanderWaal put out her video of unreleased songs, like when Kennedy got shot 😂) anyway, in that video, she was candid about family and colleagues not like certain ones of her songs. Like ‘Need me now’, or whatever she’s officially called it, they didn’t care for that one?!!! Please! So if any of that is going on holding her back, well that just pisses me off. That would rank up there with the times she told us that she was told not to do Darkness Keeps Chasing Me in public because it’s too sad. Turns out to be everyone’s favorite to watch her sing. I get nervous about some of these people that have to much influence on what she does. To me, she is at her absolute best when she is in control of everything regarding her music. Even in producing. Sure, help her with technicals, but let her direct and make the final decision on EVERYTHING. But, who knows what’s really true. I’m pretty much just guessing. And venting - 😊

“frustrating” is putting it mildy. it would not be so bad if grace had dropped music worthy of her talent but her last four singles have left me wanting. really? _don’t assume what you don’t know, repeat, lion’s den_ and _the theme song to “barbie?”_ grace’s _letters, vol. 1_ is as its name implies - a collection of _letters_ written to her generation about the excesses of her generation. _gucci shoes,_ a scathing exposé on the nihilism that pervades today’s youth, is the wellspring from which the rest of the music flows. _poser_ (hypocrisy), _i don’t like you_ (compromise), _you’re so beautiful_ (vanity), _waste my time_ (superficiality) and _the city_ (betrayal) round out this cache of incomprehensibly beautiful missives. peace

When ‘Waste my Time’ came out, to be honest, at the very first I felt slightly disappointed. I thought instantly ‘too poppy’. But since then I’ve grown to love it. Like the kids would say- ‘It’s such a bop’ 🙂. I truly love it now. I think I was so enamored by how she was writing songs that were so UN-pop like, that I didn’t ever want to hear her do one like it. But, I was so wrong. It’s a lovely song. Still poppy, but now I think of it like, yep, she can write those too. She can write any genre. Pop too.

Stopped at .55 to say I was attacked for being too negative for the same thing you said. I played this for my granddaughter in my car the other day, still love it.

Lucky Dax the copywrite demons allowed you to post this reaction. Seems Grace has turned to acting, modeling to pay the rent. Her label appears to have given up on her as a major singing star. Wouldn't be surprised to see a change in record label and more acting if her role in Megalopolis gets good reviews. Right now she is faced with a shrinking fanbase as no music is released, and when new music is released in future it gets ignored, Grace who? If she doesn't do something soon to revitalize her music career, it's all over. Ten years from now will find a turning 30 year old Grace working a 9 to 5 job if she doesn't recreate herself in a way that will get the kinda buzz like she got from winning AGT.

Dax I have been saying this. Grace is being wasted. Thank you for saying that for me.