Today's music post comes in the form of London vocalist Savannah Dumetz and 'Naked'. With a vintage sound to both her music and her voice she is completely vulnerable in the soulful track. The soulful singer has managed to create an open and honest debut single and a honest account of self loving. Its a beautifully written track and achieves what Savannah has set out to do which is 'encourage empowerment' saying herself that she is 'a lady who has taken control of her dreams, I refuse to give up'. Something that we can all learn from Savannah and listening to Naked is definitely encouraging that.
The song has a very classic and old school / early r'n'b sound to it. Its very delicate and allows Savannah to show off her voice incredibly well using her entire range. With a voice that reminds me a little of Emeli Sande and Demi Lovato it's not a surprising that Savannah Dumetz has been creating such a buzz online. Telling her own stories in her music, Savannah is creating music that is universal and resonating with many people. Along with a classic sound, people young and old are able to appreciate her music. She is currently working on her album which will no doubt be a standout.
Check out Savannah Dumetz music video for 'Naked' below:
The other day, I was on Twitter when I noticed I had a new verified follower. It always surprises me when I get a verified follower, especially when they are singers and it makes me curious to find out more about them. The person who followed me the other day was Daniel Pearson after checking out his Spotifypage I was pleasantly surprised.
'Mercury State' is a very relatable album for most people. Daniel Pearson comes from a working class background in Hull, and this shows through the lyrics within this album describing his struggles that have come from the recession. Guitar driven opening track of 'Factor Floor' describes this with Daniel Pearson's striking lyrics. I love the echo-y sound that the track features as he sings 'what more could you want from me' which gives the feeling of unity.
The first song that I played was 'I Still Believe' which is a slow song that is so beautiful, there's a long piano introduction which gave me the chills and then Daniel Pearson'ssilky voice comes into play, which makes it even more beautiful. It's a song that makes you think, and for me it's about cherishing every moment, regardless of what is happening in the world. 'There's still some power in the smallest of dreams', I love that lyric. It's a very hopeful song and very honest which I think is refreshing.
Daniel Pearson also has a heavier rock and blues feel to his music in tracks 'Promises' and 'Hard Times'. I feel like he has subtle digs at the government in 'Promises' and talks about their broken promises which is quite gutsy in opinion. It's also different, as a lot of the music that I hear are more love songs, so this is quite a different approach in modern music to talk about the issues of day-to-day life rather than lost love. It's very much reminiscent to how music used to be. I like the lyrics of 'hope has disappeared, it won't be coming back' and the 'lies you tell by the money you make'. I love the feel and the sound of 'Hard Times' it has that heavier sound and gives the feeling of people fighting back and surviving regardless of the difficulties that the state has put them into.
As well as his different approach to telling stories about real life, and not romanticising life. I think that Daniel Pearson is a great lyricist. Quite a lot of his lyrics stick out to me, not only do they reflect life struggles but I feel like you can take those lyrics and turn them into motivation. Such as in 'Rat Race' when he sings 'it's a hard race to run when you're running with the rats/when you're running out of time', it kind of makes me want to pursue my own dreams more to prove everyone wrong. Also in 'Old Friends' which sees Pearson return to his country/folk vibes with the ending lyrics of 'whether it rains or pours' it's just a reminder that you've got people there who will stick with you through the hard times of your life and they're the ones who count.
I was impressed with Daniel Pearson's completely honest and open lyrics and singing about topics that we don't normally hear. He also shows his range and what he is capable of when he sings with just a guitar and sounds more folk, or then amps it up with a heavier guitar and more production work and then slows it down again with a beautiful song of just him and his piano like 'I Still Believe'. He's quite a unique artist and one to definitely one to watch.
Check out the lyric video of Daniel Pearson's 'I Still Believe' below:
Have you checked out Daniel Pearson yet? Who are you currently listening to?
With Twitter, I find that you're constantly getting bands that you've never heard of following you on there, or you get people tweeting you to check out their music. Most of the time I ignore it. I don't know why because they may be the best band/singer in the world and I'll never know. So recently, when this has happened I've tried to make more of an effort to listen to whoever this new follower is. The other day I was tweeted by James Poole telling me about his new song 'Alive' and I really didn't know what to expect to begin with, assuming he would sing very pop songs. But I was pleasantly surprised.
'Alive' is a slow ballad but there is a lot of power behind it too. James Poole has quite a unique tone to his voice which sounds incredibly sexy (to me) and I really like this. It kind of reminds me a little of Gavin DeGraw just with a little less grit and we all know how I love a little bit of DeGraw. Despite having a strong chest voice, Poole's falsetto is just as impressive and he uses this in all the right places to take the song into other places and make it more beautiful and angelic.
Using only a piano, the song is incredibly emotional and who doesn't love a sad song? I think this would sound beautiful live especially with a choir to build and create more atmosphere where Poole can't alone. You can hear the hard work that Poole has put into the song even though it sounds completely effortless in the way he sings. This song gives me goosebumps and has an almost haunting effect. It's a beautiful song, for me it's about living your life the way you want and with who you want even if people think you're 'out of your mind'. It's about starting over and moving on. It's definitely a song that gets you thinking about situations which is what music is all about.
Check out James Poole's 'Alive' below:
Have you checked out James Poole's music before? What do you think?
I can't remember when I first heard of James Bay, but for some strange reason I never really listened to him at the time. It was only the other day that I was at work and I kept hearing this song being played and I became obsessed with it. After writing the lyrics down on a piece of POS signs to remind me to download the song when I got home, was it that I realised I was obsessing over James Bay's'Hold Back the River'.
I can't get over how beautiful this song is. We all probably know now that my favourite music is that which sounds really authentic and without loads of production. Songs that will sound the same live as they do on the record and this is one of those songs. It just makes me want to see that artist even more live knowing that it'll pretty much be the same. Plus, I think it shows the artists talent off more as they aren't hiding behind anything like synthesized elements and I think James Bay is full of potential and talent. He also has that bluesy feel to his style that I love and his songwriting is just incredible.
I love how 'Hold Back the River' starts quite simple and low, it's just got a nice flow to it and it's quiet and understated. But then it builds throughout the song into a fast pace and he plays around with his falsetto and a much more powerful gravelly sound with his voice exposing the grit in his tone. It's so simple and James Bay shows off everything that he can do that you can't help be blown away. There's so much power behind his voice towards the end of the song and you can hear the emotion which gives me shivers.
Despite being a serious song, it has an upbeat tempo to the chorus which makes you feel optimistic about the situation and makes you feel that everything will be alright for these two characters. 'Hold Back the River' is also incredibly catchy, I can't stop singing this song and I'm constantly listening to it at the moment. Everything about this song is right up my street and I can't wait for his album to be released because if it's anything like this single I'll be obsessed with it in no time.
Check out James Bay's music video for 'Hold Back the River' below:
Are you a fan of James Bay? What music are you loving at the moment?
