“Give Me One More Kiss” (Demo Feat. Chris Davidson)
“Give Me One More Kiss” (Demo Featuring Chris Davidson) – Single Review
Decent demo tune put forth from songwriter Ron Huelskamp, the new single “Give Me One More Kiss” (Featuring Chris Davidson on vocals) has a mix of haunting sentimentality that has plenty of contrast between the music, vocals & lyrics that help this tune stand out. At the end of the day, it’s inarguably a love-song of sorts, but the tone in the mood & atmosphere of this cut also allow for your own interpretation on where the perspective of ‘love’ is coming from.
The music makes an instant impact through its smooth & dusty Americana-Folk vibe, I like the pace, I like the acoustic guitars and think they put on a whole bunch of great ideas throughout the song. Adding just that right amount of electric with a pulsing effect that comes gently into the music to accent the energy as Chris transitions from verse to chorus, he fits in his own vocal tones perfectly into the existing atmosphere surrounding him & really adds a lot of texture to the overall melody with his voice.
“Give Me One More Kiss” was written by songwriter Ron Huelskamp, then passed over to Chris to assist in bringing this tune to life. What’s interesting to me personally, is how this collaborative effort ended up working out and everyone got what they needed in this song in the final recording…let me explain…
If anything, I’d assume that Ron likely would have heard the excellent performance that Chris put into this tune and agreed that the way he’s chosen to sing this song is the best suited approach to match the movement, energy and sound of the music on “Give Me One More Kiss.” But here’s where it gets tricky – because I’d agree with that myself…I think that Chris has chosen a perfect way to sing this song; that being said, my theory on this particular single is that it’s certainly intended to BE a straight-up love-song. And I’m not entirely sure that’s how people will actually hear it. Might just be me of course, but the atmosphere of the music and its slightly dark & melancholic vibe, could be an audible statement on the nostalgic and reflective look that the lyrics take at a certain romantic situation – or it could also be interpreted through the slow-burning vibe that the words are more like…how do I say this…’stalker-ish.’
But this is why that makes a difference…because if we’re examining the lyrics of “Give Me One More Kiss” from one perspective or the other, they make completely separate impacts. If it’s intended to have a darker thread that exists in the subtext of the song, then these words have a subtle genius to them that really hits the mark; if it’s intended to be a straight-ahead love-song, they’d fall short of that mark by drawing on a lot of existing clichés in lyrics written time & again throughout music’s history. Sometimes…it’s those smart collaborative efforts that can bring out another dimension in the writing – and I think ultimately, “Give Me One More Kiss” benefits greatly from the way Chris chose to sing it, which leads to that potential discussion on if the words can be taken as literally as they are written, or if there might perhaps be an underlying meaning or twist on it all. So even though a lot of the lyrics seem like they could be absolutely ‘normal’ to a certain extent and what you’d expect to hear in a love-song – it’s because of the energy, tone & mood in the music & vocals combined that allow us to wonder about what might also be being expressed in this song between the lines for its subject, motivations, & theme.
Whether any of that is intended or not – a song like this can exist on those multiple levels due to its contrasting ideas & sound…and I always think it’s a good thing when something provokes thought, emotion or discussion like this does. Some people out there will take it as a surface-level love-song – and maybe it IS – the lyricism is remarkably sweet and shows no signs of malice…you could enjoy it just for the quaint, Wallflowers-esque style/sound of Chris Davidson’s music & vocals and be quite content I’m sure. I think he really does an exceptional job of putting his own spin, attitude & perspective into the lyricism by how he chooses to sing these words and how the overall sound of the melody on “Give Me One More Kiss,” it truly allows for that creative interpretation we can have in the experience as listeners. Whether intentional or not almost becomes beside the point once a song is put out into the world – we all hear things differently and all identify and recognize something we love uniquely in all the many things we listen to…ultimate point being you’ll find something you can personally dig in this tune, whether it’s the intentional meanings and messages of “Give Me One More Kiss” or the ones you attach to it that relate to your own experiences in life. Either way – ain’t that what music is really all about?
Contact Ron Huelskamp through his page at Facebook for more info: https://www.facebook.com/ron.huelskamp
Join the thousands of bands & artists reviewed at sleepingbagstudios by clicking here!