Julia McDonald – “Gravity”
Julia McDonald – “Gravity” – Single Review
Hmmm. Yep!
When I scan through my own mainstream collection of music to see what I might want to listen to, the process is a strange one. Say I get like, 100 new downloads…ten songs roughly a piece…I’ll check through them all in the late-night hours here at the studio for mere seconds at a time. It’s not an act of disrespect to the music – I just know what works for me and I know it immediately more or less…there are certainly qualities that I NEED in a singer and in the melody of a song to form that solid connection, even if I’m only listening to seconds at a time. Identifying those same strong qualities within the independent music-scene is largely what’s kept anything I say remotely relevant here throughout the years I suppose. The advantage of the independent artists/bands out there is that I’d never only put seconds of time into their work – I’m there for the full ride from singles to albums to videos & everything else in between…but truthfully, identifying pure talent still takes just as much time for me.
Actually…I don’t even want to give myself that credit…it’s not the person that can identify talent through the speakers that deserves the credit – it’s the artists like Julia McDonald that make their exceptional & stunning songwriting so completely realized and upfront for all to hear that deserve the real credit.
“Gravity” is the kind of sincere melody through that genuinely connects to us all. Smartly written with heartfelt lyricism that puts emotion in the spotlight, Julia sings with stunning authenticity and beautiful, angelic, graceful tones that contrast sweetly with the intensity & weight of the themes on “Gravity.” From its gentle melody in the music to the perfection in her performance – every twist & turn puts a spotlight clearly on the other main-element of this song that leads it to victory, the songwriting. Straight-up – this is gorgeous. I mean…it’s freakin’ HEARTBREAKING at times throughout the lyrics, no doubt about it…but if we’re talking about melody itself…vocal-flow…ideas…well then you’d have to admit, this entire song is a beautiful thing. When an artist gets a song this RIGHT…even when the subject is the soul-crushing experience of love gone awry…how can it still not bring some sort of smile to your face, know what I mean? Even if that smile is born of satisfaction or from being proud of what Julia’s accomplished with this boldly expressive new single…that’s still allowed right? Just because the words are compellingly sad & heavy in their sentiment and descriptions doesn’t mean we can’t all still be completely stoked on the fact that she’s truly nailed this song down tight in every possible way.
Absolutely nothing about this song I’d change from its production to performance – and I think we’ve potentially stumbled onto another artist with a very, very bright future here with Julia McDonald. You can completely hear how versatile her voice is…and if she’s already got this incredibly strong a grip on her sound, hooks and songwriting as she’s put forth here on “Gravity,” then mark my words – she will go far. I’m seriously impressed with the lyricism of this song and I’m even more impressed by the astonishing amount of connection that you feel between the words and tone in her voice – Julia’s put in a truly commendable performance that expresses the emotions and intentions in this idea perfectly.
Personally as a listener, I couldn’t ask for more; I love the sincerity in her approach and the honest, fragile-but-still-powerful way she sings this song. She sounds like a fusion of artists you love like Lily Allen, Hayley Williams and Sarah Bettens all beautifully & immaculately combined into one somehow. Every moment of melody in the writing is fully explored to bring the most out of every move “Gravity” makes – I think she’s written this one from a powerful & personal place…one that’s REAL with emotions, thoughts and feelings we can truly relate to and connect with. For a first experience with an artist, this is the art of perfection in a first impression and I’d certainly be willing to listen to anything that would come out from Julia McDonald now that I’ve been introduced to her through “Gravity.” Time always tells the full-story of course…but were you to ask me right now based on what I’ve heard in this stunning first single, I’d be plenty inclined to swear that Julia McDonald is indeed ‘the real deal.’ Gorgeous tune.
I highly recommend checking out the music of Julia McDonald – find out more from her official page at: http://www.juliamcdonaldmusic.com/
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