Chasing Jonah – “Weight”
Chasing Jonah – “Weight” – Single Review
Alright…if you’re familiar to our pages then you’re no stranger to the name Chasing Jonah by now and just how enthusiastically we’ve supported this incredible project from the moment we came to learn about it and hear the angelic, graceful voice of singer/songwriter Ashley Dudukovich for the first time. Time and time again she’s proven to be a completely unique and powerful voice, unafraid to tackle intense societal & personal issues in her lyrics & music with unequivocal emotion and professional delivery; from singles to full-albums…everything I’ve heard from Chasing Jonah has been nothing short of stunning. She makes music that truly lasts, holds-up over the years & continues to stand the test of time.
And truthfully…it’s hard to imagine that the creative imagination, beautiful ideas and seemingly endless well-of-inspiration that Chasing Jonah draws from would need any further challenges other than continuing to find ways to overcome the odds and deliver power single & song after single & song…but a great artist is ALWAYS in pursuit of something that will put them right into a completely new environment or idea that gives them the opportunity to expand their horizons even further. I bring this up because the story behind the creation of Chasing Jonah’s new single/video for “Weight” is a tale built on the true spirit of collaboration and taking hold of the moment & inspiration for all it offers.
“Weight” was the result of what came out of Chasing Jonah’s entry into a Jacksonville-based project known as Music Video Invitational 48. Now…this is the first time I’ve actually heard of this contest myself…so for anyone out there like me that was unfamiliar with it, here are the extraordinary & very cool details you need to know about MVI 48…
First of all, know that Chasing Jonah was one of only four artists to have been selected to participate from Jacksonville…that alone will confirm that Ashley certainly makes/has-made an impact with her music beyond my own opinion. She was given one word, two notes and a theme along with 48 hours to write, record and produce a new original song…which became the new single “Weight.” But HANG ON because this Music Video Invitational 48 thing gets even COOLER when you take the momentum and buzz you’ve got from just having written a song at an intense songwriting pace and then proceed to be paired with a local videographer and given just another 48 hours to completely write, film and edit a music video to go with the new song.
There aren’t too many opportunities for me to say something like this so I’m gonna say it now while I can: I love the rules, I love the structure, I love the timelines…all of what I’ve read about MVI 48 is extremely cool to me and as an artist, I can completely understand the unique challenge this would present and the opportunity to prove to yourself along with others that this can all be achieved.
Some of you out there are balking at the very idea of being able to pull-off a song of quality within such a shortened timeframe; yet there are also many others out there that have created, written and recorded songs in the passion of the moment and completely understand that a situation like this might not just lead to a good song, but a great one indeed. Inspiration, focus and determination can be our most powerful tools as a writer or as a musician…and in my opinion, from what I hear/see in this collaboration that brought “Weight” into existence – Ashley and the team of people involved in this new single know exactly how to use those tools for the greater good. I’ll admit that I fall into the latter-group of people that really understand a shortened timeframe and challenge like this can lead to something spectacular…but it’s even in knowing that fact that I still can’t help but acknowledge how impressive “Weight” is from its writing to execution in both audio/video.
For what I’d consider to be a long-time fan of Chasing Jonah like myself now…it’s still amazing to me that each time Ashley writes a song I feel like it could be my anthem for the year to follow. 48 hours…no matter who you are or how you write or who’s involved…it’s still a seriously short timeframe. Chances are…most that attempt to write a song within that amount of time WILL be able to get something onto a recording…but a verifiable, inarguable HIT-song? That’s a whole different situation altogether and exactly the difference as to why Ashley and Chasing Jonah are head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to songwriting. When you hear the power of the chorus, the melody in “Weight” and the fierce passion that Ashley brings to the vocals overall…you really can’t help but stop to admire the fact that this song was conceptualized, written and recorded in only 48 hours or less. The stunning and flawless execution and how it sounds like she’s had this song ready for years and years already inside her just waiting to get out will make you wonder aloud about whether or not there IS a challenge capable of containing her creativity where she wouldn’t rise to the occasion or find success with. I highly doubt there are any…Ashley is a songwriter of the superhuman variety…not even kidding remotely.
I’ve been doing this review-thing plenty long enough to know amazing when I hear it. I’m also no stranger to the fact that I’m an excitable personality when it comes to great music coming from our shared, collective and amazing independent music-scene…I always do my best to find the positives whenever possible and I tend to dwell on the bright-side while still retaining sincerity and credibility with the words I choose. When it comes to Chasing Jonah…it’s not a question of hunting for positives – they float around and surround you warmly like a dreamy-invitation, enveloping you in sound-reasons to enthusiastically support this incredible journey Ashley is on. The rhythm, melody and empowered tone to the words & spirited-flow of “Weight” is another highlight in a career that is already bursting at the seams with some of the most stunning music I’ve heard from the independent OR mainstream scenes.
An incredible humble and giving artist…this collaboration in art is truly what it’s all about to me…people connecting to each other and expressing themselves without limits. Well…okay, there’s a time-limit sometimes but you get what I mean; when Ashley puts her name to something and agrees to participate you get the full 100% of her soul involved…she holds nothing back and the strength in the fragility of her vocals only serves to amplify the passion she puts into each and every moment.
Even though I feel like I end up saying this in one way, shape or form each time I listen to Chasing Jonah, I know the feelings are always justified; “Weight” is another example of Ashley at her absolute best. Don’t mistake any of what I’ve said for blind-devotion…it’ll only take mere moments into ANY song from Chasing Jonah to convince you that everything I’ve said here is completely true.
Mere moments though…ha! Good luck with that. Anyone who can only play seconds of Chasing Jonah and then somehow leave or turn the TV on is built of something completely different than I am…I could easily put Ashley’s music onto a desert-island top-five list and fall asleep comfortably, knowing that if I were to wake up in that situation one day…I’d be doing just fine. Better than fine. Chasing Jonah continually proves that it’s one of the best projects to have broken-out in the independent-scene from the past five-years and the quickly-written, stunning-quality results of their efforts on “Weight” are a highlight example of all the reasons lyrically, vocally and musically why you can count on this project to powerfully deliver every time you hear something new from them.
Seriously people…support Chasing Jonah…it’s as amazing as music can be – you have my word on that. Find out more at the official homepage here: http://chasingjonah.com/
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