Martina McBride — Concrete Angel

There is such a big vast difference between this song and my other favorite song of the same title that it seems laughable to even think of comparing the two. Indeed, this song is soulful, a bit sad, and talks of children abuse gone unnoticed. It keeps it down to a single piano and largely relies on the singer to bring the title through. On the other hand, Gareth Emery brings out strong beats, uses heavy electronics, and starts out dark before giving a little hope in the end, with the message being to speak out for yourself. In addition, the teachers are also arguably “concrete angels” in Gareth’s term. They do notice, but they fail to help, perhaps out of fear that the adult will do something even more severe. It’s unclear. Regardless, Gareth’s titular saying actually applies to most of the characters in Martina’s song. And so the two have more in common than it seems after all. It’s interesting how different the styles are, and yet it’s also interesting how Garett kept his context vague enough that’s you could fit it into Martina’s song. So next time you listen to two completely different songs, try listening to the message. Perhaps they’re not so different after all. 85/100