I usually go onto the "Hot Tracks" page of iTunes when I really want to hear some good new music and a lot of stuff doesn't catch my attention. That being said, a lot of tracks do catch my attention and typically the artist deserves more recognition that they are getting. These "Hot Tracks" reviews go out to my artists that deserve more than what they're getting!
I'm so glad I stumbled across this song for many reasons. For one, it's rare that you have someone with such a unique voice that can also make you have an absolute come to Jesus moment. There is a moment during the bridge when Kane let's her entire voice loose. She begins belting the song, but not only does she belt the song. There is so much raw emotion from that moment that you don't see very often anymore unless you're listening to gospel music. It's so rare that an artist doesn't use an immense amount of auto tune anymore that it makes you appreciate the rawness and vocality of Kane. I remember getting literal goosebumps as I listened to this song (I may have been in the bathroom, but that didn't stop me from bopping, throwing my hands in the air and dancing like my ass was on fire!) and it's beautiful lyrics.
The beginning of the song is haunting. A simple piano melody can go along way. The notes were memorizing and the intent of the piano was absolutely breathtaking. We finally hit the first chord and we finally hear Kane's gorgeous voice. "Sometimes clinging to a cloud ain't as easy as it seems" she sings. There is a metaphor ingrained into this simplistic first phrase. Allen is singing about love. Sometimes clinging onto a person/feelings that you know you can't really "feel/touch" physically isn't as simple as it seems. No matter how hard "we try", as the chorus states, it's impossible to do so. Her phrasing is so beautiful and it's only intensified by the intimate setting of the song. It's so raw just hearing her work against the piano.
Kane settles into the second verse, reminding us "we're all in our heads" too much when it comes to this feeling. "Luck never brought us love, or friends" it's more "heads or tails." As she explains "never winning" in this flip a coin game that is love, she goes back into the chorus. "We try, we try." We try to navigate through love but we're so in our head sometimes, we forget to realize that everything is by chance and not by choice. Love is truly a game where it's either heads or tails. 
This brings us into the absolutely gorgeous musical break. It just feels like a throwback to when listening to music was actual about the music. The substance to the music. It's nice hearing a musical break that isn't about twerking or having you do the whip or ne ne. While all those things are great, it's nice being able to sit back and be consumed by everything we hear, whether it's the tambourines, or the drums or the trumpet solo. And when she hits the third verse, leaving these instruments in makes the song feel all the more epic. While her voice is powerful enough on it's own, it's even magnified as we hear back up singers and the instrumentation remains the same as the musical break. Back to her theme of love. You feel it, or you don't. And when you don't feel it, but you try and lie to yourself about it you realize "sometimes clinging to a cloud ain't as easy as it seems," as the third verse would like us to believe.
The bridge is where Kane really takes it home and brings us into her world of pain. She almost effortlessly transitions into her head voice and then back to her chest voice, allowing for her vibrato to have it's full affect. She then belts out as she asks if you "would make a set of wings and fly" if she could build a "house in the sky with one blink of an eye." Ugh, you freaking just hear her letting all of her emotions fly out the window because there is so much built up inside of her. I don't know about you all, but she took me to church, IHOP and then back to church again. Then she starts scatting and you can just hear how in tune she is with the instrumental elements of the song and you get consumed into her heartbreak. Yes, ma'am! That subtle growl as the song reaches it's climax is just wonderful. This woman can SING her ASS off. Then ended is just as powerful as the song begins to fade away.
This is a very complicated case because while this woman utterly deserves to go absolutely mainstream and have everyone hear what she has to offer, as Americans (the market I'm assuming she's going for) we're more into having Katy Perry whip out her left tit or have Miley Cyrus creating an album about dead pets and marijuana. I would absolutely love for her to get out into the market and destroy the music scene, but I'll still get to revel in her being my best kept secret as she continues to make what is sure to be an incredible career. I'm happy to give her my first musical grade of an A.
GRADE: A
Make sure to listen to Act 1 of her "Aviary EP" this Tuesday, November 17th!
No comments:
Post a Comment