Annie Fitzgerald – “Black & Blue”
Annie Fitzgerald – “Black & Blue” – Single Review
Fully approve! Good lordy – what’s not to love about this fantastic artist & amazing song?
Annie Fitzgerald is just about ready to officially release her brand-new album You & Me & The Sun – it comes out officially tomorrow…so we’re like, hours away at this point. The lead-single “Black & Blue” is all the reason I needed to be excited about what Annie brings to music…this first impression is a highly memorable one. The stylistically smooth design of the sound of “Black & Blue” is as enticing as it gets.
Remarkable. This song really is. I think the tone of the guitars and the instrumentation in this song is off-the-charts cool to listen to – combined with the sleek movement & pace that “Black & Blue” glides along with…I mean C’MON…ears are going to gobble this single up for every note they can absorb. It’s produced & mixed as spectacularly as a song could possibly be – props to the smoothness in the rhythm section; between the thick bass tones & crisply controlled drum sounds…you can hear that definition in the lefts & rights and how well spaced-out they are with the guitars are in the mix for everything to really stand out & shine – and it DOES, let me tell ya. The ONLY thing in “Black & Blue” that’s likely able to tear your ears away from the stunning guitar tones grinding in their beautifully sweet distortion & edge-filled notes is Annie herself – and for this perhaps, she deserves even more credit than you initially give her for the fantastic voice she has. Like it becomes more than apparent that this fine lady can seriously SING and write an amazing tune almost immediately…but I tell ya people, standing out as the main star in comparison to those incredible guitar notes is an achievement here that really speaks to just how captivating she IS as a performer. Certainly as a songwriter as well…”Black & Blue” is structured to deliver an impact in so many spots – the wicked movement through the verse, the explosion of her vocals in the chorus soaring to noteworthy heights…credit where credit is due dear readers, dear friends – Annie writes a killer song and when it comes time to hit the record button, she clearly knows exactly where she wants to take it.
Incidentally…a side-note here perhaps, but I believe a valid one – I bet you that Annie Fitzgerald could cover a Sarah McLachlan song better than Sarah could probably sing her own tunes right now! No disrespect to McLachlan – I love her music, always have – but Annie is clearly hitting her stride and right in the zone right now, that’s all I’m saying. When you hear the confident mix of melodic, sweet, bold, & powerful tones that she’s capable of…well…there’s just no hearing Annie’s voice any other way – she’s stunning. Just so happens that you can hear that McLachlan influence creep in every so often with that brilliant transition in the way she sings certain notes and changes the tone in that signature style – you know the ones I’m talking about Annie. That’s the right way to pay homage to those that have paved the way before us in my opinion – this song is still ALL Annie…just a couple of moments that give a strong nod to those that have inspired along on her own journey. You could argue there’s a Sheryl Crow or Bonnie Raitt like movement to the way this song is structured with that start/stop energy and addictive sound to the hooks…for those that have been around as long as I have, I’d even accept that, hearing something like “Black & Blue” and how stylistically cool the entire song could bring you back to that time where you heard a song like “Black Velvet” by Alannah Myles from back in the day. Different songs entirely…but that same top-notch level of slick and vibrantly sleek sound working for both. Annie takes “Black & Blue” into a bit more decidedly rock terrain at the song’s most intense spots in the chorus than perhaps any of the artists I’ve compared her to – but I think this is also part of the way the sound evolves…I think this could very well be an instrumental part of what sets Annie a part from the rest.
Bottom line is that you simply couldn’t ask any more from her in this spectacular performance she puts on…the songwriting, the lyrics, music…it’s all there – but she’s got every bit of the skills required as a true entertainer to bring those efforts to life in every way your speakers can possibly handle. The more I listened to this single, the more potential I felt like I heard…her new album You & Me & The Sun is her second record from what I’ve read & researched online…so you know what that means – it’s still early on. In my world…that means there’s a WHOLE LOT more music to come – right Annie? I’m already looking forward to her tenth record and I haven’t even heard the whole second album that she’s about to release on June 1st yet! There’s plenty of reason to be excited about Annie’s music though – this is as smooth as it gets, her words are powerful and delivered with such impressive doses of style & serious range, the main star gives an unforgettable first impression to the world with this lead-single and I’m absolutely stoked to hear more. Annie and every hand involved in this song should be really proud of this effort – I think everything about “Black & Blue” is as stunning as a single can be.
Find out more about Annie Fitzgerald at her official page at: http://www.anniefitzgerald.com/
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