Donna Lewis new album Rooms With A View is transformative and healing
Hitmaker Donna Lewis has returned with one of the most special and emotional musical releases she has ever created. Called Rooms With A View, the prolific singer/songwriter teamed up with producer Holmes Ives for a 10 track journey through her diagnosis and ultimate healing from breast cancer. The album features experimental soundscapes, lush sonics and trip hop production along with confessional lyrics that are evocative, sad but also hopeful.
Rooms With A View begins with the deeply atmospheric and moody synth pop single “The Messenger”. The song details her reaction when she was first diagnosed with cancer. She sings, “Why have you come to me, how do I get you to leave?” The track parallels cancer to an uninvited guest, an unwelcome messenger and one that must be banished. Donna’s signature vocal tone is a highlight to the track with the chorus showing her breathy and stunning hue. Then the album picks up a bit with “Corridors”, a song that begins with a bouncy beat and quirky production. The melody of this one is insanely catchy and the track is a perfect ode to those nurses and doctors who helped keep her calm and safe during her treatment.
“The Mark” oozes mystery and darkness and it takes the listener to the depths of the unknown. In the song, Donna is getting ready for her first radiation treatment and the anxiety and fear is tangible. However, she is able to let go and almost goes into a meditative state during the treatment. The song brilliantly depicts these conflicting emotions. “The Mark” features a vortex of colliding sounds complete with deeply rich and cinematic synths, soul-baring bass and hypnotic melodies. With “The Imposter”, Donna continues that theme of experiencing both the light and the dark, joy and sadness. Her vocals are angelic, soft and hope-filled in the chorus but the verse they are slow-burned and moody. The instrumentation also reflects these different feelings with colorful synths contrasting with pitch black bass. The highlight of the album and the title track is the gorgeous and heartfelt “Rooms with a View”. The single is in collaboration with her son Archie Lewis-Harris, a rising composer and musician. “Rooms with a View” includes deep and vivid imagery of the various spaces and rooms where she received her treatment. The song also acts as a thank you and tribute to all those around her who filled her with strength during her illness.
Donna Lewis is best known for her hit single “I Love You Always Forever” released in the 90s. Since then, the creator has shared numerous releases each differing sonically and thematically. Perhaps nothing is as amazing though as her latest album. Give the 10 track collection a listen now and enjoy this musical masterpiece.