Drawing inspiration from pastoral images and landscapes from the American West, Vanderzee released their newest album, “The Hopeful Bright,” on Oct. 30.
Oklahoma Christian University alumni Brett and Laura Vanderzee have been singing together since the first day they met. The married couple now form the group, Vanderzee.
In May of 2015, Vanderzee set out to record their second album, “The Hopeful Bright,” at Yackland Studio in East Nashville with the help of music producer Stephen Leiweke.
“‘The Hopeful Bright’ started before we knew it was even starting,” Vanderzee said. “I wasn’t really sure what songwriting would be like after releasing our first album, but I was happy to discover there was plenty more to write about. At first it was like the running montage from ‘Forrest Gump’ – I was just writing songs because I didn’t know what else to do and I didn’t want to stop.”
Vanderzee said there are some differences between “The Hopeful Bright” and the group’s first album, “On The Low Sky.” Whereas “On the Low Sky” reflects a more serious sound, “The Hopeful Bright” presents itself as a more vulnerable and personal album.
“ ‘On The Low Sky’ was a very niche concept album in that all of the songs were written about biblical characters,” Vanderzee said. “Contrastingly, ‘The Hopeful Bright’ was a great exercise in freedom, allowing us to explore whatever thought, emotion or story we wished.”
Vanderzee said he hopes fans will be able to draw a connection with the emotions the album contains.
“These songs have been percolating for a while now so I’m just really excited for people to finally hear them,” Vanderzee said. “I hope fans enjoy the musical direction we’ve taken and I hope they resonate with the joys and fears and experiences of the lyrics.”
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“The Hopeful Bright” is not the only new thing for Brett and Laura. The group was originally called “Brett Vanderzee,” however, because the couple agreed that Laura’s voice was such a fundamental component of their sound, they decided to change their name to the more inclusive “Vanderzee.”
“Performing live shows together under the billing ‘Brett Vanderzee’ started to feel disingenuous,” Vanderzee said. “We decided ‘The Hopeful Bright’ would be a good chance to start fresh with more accurate branding.”
Vanderzee will be performing on Friday, Nov. 6 as part of Oklahoma Christian’s homecoming week festivities in the forum from 7-9 p.m.
Brett said Oklahoma Christian holds many fond memories for both him and Laura, and they are looking forward to returning to perform.
“OC is where Laura and I met, it’s where we got engaged, and it’s really where we got our start as a band, so it holds a special place in our hearts,” Vanderzee said. “We’re excited to share these songs with old friends on campus and hopefully make some new friends as well.”
For more information on Vanderzee music visit their website.
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