Cory Legendre makes a return to music after a five year break with the highly emotional and heartwarming album ‘Reunited’. A beautiful ode to his late parents, the album was also made upon Cory’s late mother’s request of not having a “boring funeral” and wanting her son to be his creative self. The album spans eight tracks, which I’ll be discussing as I try to fight my tears.

Dressed In Black – This is an acoustic track where the guitars, bass and soft drums make up the atmosphere, and Cory’s soft, airy vocals tell the story of how his mom mourned his father’s death. It’s a love that transcends mortal life, as it seems she kept her promises and kept him in her memories for years after his death, as evident in the heart-wrenching lyrics here. It’s surprising, though, how such a heavy and personal topic is expressed in such a wholesome way instead of a dark and depressing one. As Cory uses a seamless vocal technique, you can barely feel a distinction between his vocal registers on this song because whether it’s chest, head voice, or falsetto the emotion in his voice is what grabs your attention right away. 

The World Didn’t Stop – The world didn’t stop due to the Legendre family’s tragic loss, and the dose of emotions that Cory has to deal with has doubled at this point. This song has one of the truest and most expressive forms of lyricism I’ve ever come across…it’s not just refusing to accept his father’s death, but it’s also failing to see where this unfair and tragic loss fits into God’s plan for a family of believers. It’s the denial to see how the world can function after such a loss and Cory’s broken voice is accompanied by a sensual electric guitar and some additional piano melodies this time.

(When Momma Follows Him) Upstairs – This song has a relatively faster tempo with cooler percussions and a more romantic vibe. The percussive atmosphere suits the romantic lyrics and the description of the timeless and infinite love his parents have for each other. You can guess from the title that we are approaching a second tragedy, but Cory’s love for his parents and the soft way he sings his lyrics melts your heart as you listen to it.

Momma’s Comin’ Home – This song tells the story of a phone call (and probably the last one) between Cory and his mom, and how it made him feel like she was following his dad to heaven as her body weakened and her soul yearned for her partner, but her mind was clear and she reminisced about their love life and their beautiful memories together. This song sounds a lot more bluesy than the previous tracks due to the sound of the guitars, but the guitar chord progression keeps the beautiful alternative/soft rock vibe intact. Cory ends the song with an abrupt “I love you, momma” which will surely break your heart as you hear it…

Their Time Had Come – Once again, Cory’s strong bond with his parents and his loving soul makes him address the notion of both his parents being dead now with an open heart and a perspective that their love goes on in Heaven and that his momma’s now finally by his dad’s side as she’d wished for years. “She crossed the clouds to meet him” is one of the purest and most beautiful expressions of love ever. What took me by surprise though, is how this song started introducing some 70s rock n roll elements with the heavier drums and more melodic guitars, but it’s magically still related to the rest of the songs, thanks to Cory’s amazing songwriting and his wonderful vocals. 

We Hope They’re Proud – Another relatively short track, and it continues the 70s rock vibe with slightly distorted and effected guitars and a beautiful bass line. It’s great how Cory can go from lyric-driven songs that almost feel like they’re in spoken word…to an anthemic track such as this one.

Life’s Not A Dead End Road – This track was released as a single preceding the album’s release, and I think we can all see why. It’s arranged as a soft rock power ballad, with a more traditional verse-chorus-verse structure as opposed to the story telling first half of the album, but it’s one of the true masterpieces in here. The drums sound exceptionally beautiful too.

Live Life All The Way – This is sorta the moral of the story or the “take home message” behind the love story of Cory’s parents. We need to feel and rejoice every moment of love without holding back and “living life all the way”. A beautiful and optimistic song amid all the grief and heartache that Cory put us through. There’s no more beautiful way to end this masterpiece album than this positive and life-loving anthem.

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