Dennis Sy – “Life Is What You Make It”

Dennis Sy – “Life Is What You Make It” – Single Review

There we go!  This is plenty of proof that there are all kinds of opportunities for music of all styles & sounds out there as I’ve been claiming all along.  Dennis Sy is back for the second time within a month or so and clearly making moves with his songwriting & music-career; this time around he’s not just releasing a single but also part of the official soundtrack for a short documentary, which shares the name of this new song from Sy called “Life Is What You Make It.”  In all honesty – it sounds like something I’d totally watch.  I love documentaries to begin with, but this one based on the life of Jhett Tolentino about his journey from the slums in the Philippines all the way to his time spent professionally on Broadway as a Tony Award winning performer sounds particularly inspiring.  It’s a life story all about overcoming the odds and the obstacles stacked against us all to find our way to the life we truly want to live – and so too is the song.  I’m starting to get the feeling that Dennis could write about any topic or subject that comes his way with his insightful approach to songwriting…but I also think inspiration truly counts for something.  Dennis Sy sounds plenty inspired on this uplifting & empowering new tune…like he realized that vocally, he had to give this performance real definition, spark and life to the magic in the melody to really bring out the sentiment, sweetness and the song’s most ultimate messages.

Part reminder, part advice – in keeping with the tradition of Sy’s music, much of this song’s success surrounds the lyrics he’s written.  A proven master of imagery and knowing how to perfectly express in words whatever he’s focused himself on – he’s done a great job of taking the overall theme of “Life Is What You Make It” from the film, taking its core message and adapting that into something that can universally apply to us all.  At least I sure think it is!  I’m definitely on the side of people that believe “Life Is What You Make It” – I’m not sure how anybody could see it any other way.  Jhett’s story is about a man that pursued his dreams to the fullest extent…to the point where it transformed his life into something new and much closer to the life he’d always envisioned to be possible.  Sy’s song echoes that sentiment and spreads the meaning out in a way that can be relevant to us all; it’ll be a perfect fit with the movie I have no doubt – but he’s also found a way to make its points accessible to us all.  Lyrically, he’s done as solid a job as he always has – Dennis is a quality songwriter that knows his craft very well.

If he was just going out for the radio airplay on this tune, he could potentially run into a tougher time – but the idea of placing this song within a movie’s soundtrack gives it another possible advantage.  Quite often a song can make or break a scene in a movie and take it all to that next-level – but the opposite is equally true; sometimes that perfect scene onscreen can make the music and the moment completely unforgettable.  Without having seen it myself, it’s a bit harder to say…but the point is, depending on how it gets used in the film, it could become even more powerful than it already is.  The passion Sy performs this song with is completely audible…he has a real gift for making those words he writes come alive and feel real to us.  “Life Is What You Make It” is no exception – he sounds like he believes, and in turn, so do we as listeners.  This too will help him battle the airwaves and stations out there…because people respond to songs that sound genuine and like they come from a real place inside of us like this song sounds.  The great stations, charts and sites out there take their chances with songs like this that aren’t necessarily what you’ll hear on the radio of today’s world…and as Sy’s already proven time & again, he will find a way to get his music heard one way or the other!  It’s dramatic, theatric, expressive and insightfully positive…it sounds like it’s been created by someone that has that authentic zest for life and I’d imagine that’s true of Sy’s personality and character behind the scenes just as much as it is in the studio.  Seems like a really positive and motivated guy…and when you consider those factors – he’s the perfect candidate to deliver this song as it should be.  I felt like he did the song’s intentions real justice.  Solid combination of drums, bass, guitars and keyboards leading the way…Sy weaves through what’s actually a pretty complex vocal structure and somehow makes it all come out sounding incredibly smooth to the ears with no hiccups in the flow.  I wasn’t really expecting any…Dennis knows what he’s doing and he’s in full control of his destiny; the song might be inspired by the life of Jhett and the movie about his life…but something tells me this completely applies to Sy’s own perspective on life – he sounds ready to lead by example and strong on this tune.  Well done sir, as always!

Find out more about Dennis Sy at his official website:  http://www.dsymusic.com/

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