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For those who don't know, Promise Of Redemption is the acoustic solo project featuring Shane Henderson, the vocalist of the pop-punk quintet Valencia. In May of 2006, Henderson tragically lost his girlfriend Dana Leigh Burrell and has now released When The Flowers Bloom... in dedication to her. Not very often do I find it hard to get through an album when I actually like it but knowing the story behind this, I just can't help but feel so sorry for what he has to be going through. Even though I've never experienced a situation quite like his, When The Flowers Bloom... is filled with such emotion and compassion, it's as if you know exactly how he's feeling.
The short, but shiver-inducing intro "Getting Through" starts off the record and flows nicely into the next track "How Fast," where the progression in Henderson's vocals show (compared to Valencia's last album) as he belts out lyrics such as "How fast can you have your bags packed? / I'm ready to blow this town. / If friendships are less important, I'm going to feel let down." Both of these songs provide heart-rending feelings in the listener, which is a consistent feeling all throughout the album that is due from not only the musical aspect, but lyrically as well.
However, not all the songs on this album were written after the tragedy. Tracks such as "Oh The Way," and especially "From The Second I Wake Up..." were written and recorded for Burrell while she was lucky enough to be able to listen to them. "From The Second I Wake Up..." is easily one of my favorite songs on When The Flowers Bloom... and was one of the first songs we got to hear from this album back when it premiered around a year ago. Since then, I've probably listened to it a good 50+ times and it always seems to send chills down my spine as Henderson sings about missing Burrell while he's out on the road and how he never wants her to change. "Live In Love," and "Dana Leigh" are amongst the songs that were written afterwards and are truly upsetting to listen to as you get a personal look into his sorrow.
Shane Henderson has put his heart into making these thirteen songs into such a personal album which is something that he deserves massive amount of respect for doing, as I know I would never be able to do such a thing. When The Flowers Bloom... will tug at your heart strings and make you appreciate the times you have with your loved ones and not take any of that for granted