Prison | 5ive Songs

1. Miley Cyrus, “Prisoner”

Ft. Dua Lipa

💿 Plastic Hearts • 🏷 RCA • 🗓 2020

“Prisoner, prisoner, locked up / Can’t get you off my mind, off my mind.” 🎙 Miley Cyrus collaborated with 🏆 Grammy-winning pop artist 🎙 Dua Lipa on 🎵 “Prisoner”, a standout from her 2020 studio album, 💿 Plastic Hearts. On “Prisoner,” Cyrus is turned up, assertive, and definitely brings grit to table.  Likewise, Dua Lipa has a dynamic, cutting voice, with the similar ability to deliver rousing performances with incredible nuance.  Lipa takes the lead on the first verse while Cyrus reclaims the reins on the pre-chorus, splitting the energetic, memorable chorus with Dua. Then, roles flip flop with Cyrus taking the second verse, Lipa singing most of the pre-chorus, and Cyrus leading much of that unforgettable chorus. Besides strong, passionate vocals, Cyrus and Lipa get sweet production work courtesy of 🎙 The Monsters & Strangerz and 🎙 watt.  Ultimately, Cyrus and Lipa ‘do the damn thing.’  Add passionate lyrics, a minor key, and excellent production and “Prisoner” is a certified bop.

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2. Alec Benjamin, “Mind is a Prison”

💿 These Two Windows • 🏷 Alec Benjamin • 📅 2020

“Guess my mind is a prison and I’m never gonna get out.” 🎵 “Mind is a Prison” commences 💿 These Two Windows in compelling fashion. Blessed with a distinct tone, 🎙 Alec Benjamin delivers gorgeous vocals, singing with both ease and expression. “Sometimes, I think too much, yeah, I get so caught up / I’m always stuck in my head.”  Ah, as awesome as his vocal performance is, the theme is where his ‘bread is buttered’ on “Mind is a Prison.” As the title suggests, Alec captures the power of the mind, in all its dangerousness.  Basically, he paints a picture lyrically about how it’s difficult to escape his own thoughts, much like prison.  He nails it on the chorus, setting up mental imprisonment perfectly. Benjamin also does swell on the verses setting up mental anguish. He cleverly sings, on the first verse, “I don’t live in California, I’ll inform you, that’s not where I reside / I’m just a tenant, paying rent inside this body and I.” On the second verse, he specifically addresses his state of mind, singing, “I’m a prisoner, a visitor inside my brain.”

3. Matt Berninger, “Serpentine Prison”

💿 Serpentine Prison • 🏷 Concord • 📅 2020

“Total submission, I’ve seen a vision / Everyone’s screaming, I’ve been daydreaming / Sorry I’m fishing without permission / Tell her I’m missing in a serpentine prison.” In 2020, 🎙 Matt Berninger, best known as the front man of the 🏆 Grammy-winning alternative collective 🎙 The National, released a solo album, 💿 Serpentine Prison.  The ten-track album concludes with the moderately-paced ballad, 🎵 “Serpentine Prison.”  Here, Berninger totally compels with his cool baritone vocals.  He never gets too high during his performance, keeping things casual, delivering the poetic lyrics with ease.  Speaking about the song’s conception, Berninger asserts, via the YouTube video description, “The title is from a twisting sewer pipe that drains into the ocean near LAX. There’s a cage on the pipe to keep people from climbing out to sea.”

4. Ryan Adams, “Prisoner”

💿 Prisoner • 🏷 PaxAmericana / Blue Note • 📅 2017

From the start of 🎵 “Prisoner,” the title track of 🎙 Ryan Adams’ 💿 2017 album, the lyrics and theme are accessible – highly relatable.  Adams sings on the first verse: “Free my heart / Somebody locked it up / Still waiting on parole / I can taste the freedom just outside that door…” Essentially, on this straightforward pop/rock record, he touches on the power of love – sheer infatuation.  He sums up these feelings on the simple, yet memorable refrain: “I know our love is wrong / I am a criminal / Mmm, I am a prisoner / Mmm, I am a prisoner / For your love.” Well-produced, “Prisoner” embodies the spirt of rock and singer/songwriter.  The dash of harmonica is like the cherry on top.

5. Devin Dawson, “Prison”

💿 Dark Horse • 🏷 Warner Music Nashville • 📅 2018

“Call me a convict, I’ve been convicted / Serving the verdict, a live sentence.” Wow – that’s not good 🎙 Devin Dawson.  Worth noting, the California country musician released his debut album, 💿 Dark Horse, in 2018.  One of the standouts is 🎵 “Prison,” which appears as the penultimate track.  Basically, the tables have been turned on a guy who’s “Stole some hearts but dodged the bars out on the run.” That’s right! This lady has totally imprisoned him and his days of committing crimes are done.  You’ve got to love the dramatic nature of the production during the imprisoned chorus, where Dawson rises to the occasion and the country gets a dash of rock.  “You’ve got me locked up / Go on and throw away the key,” he sings, later adding, “I ani’t ever gonna break this prison / … Your love is like a prison.”