Songs I Have Held On To

Music has been and always will be such a vital element in my life, probably why I here doing a music degree and not being a vet which was I wanted to be when I was younger but then realised I would have to put some animals down and was essentially traumatised by that idea. 
Here are some songs that have stuck with me and I would like to review them for you.

When Doves Cry - Prince 

When talking about Prince I believe people receive my biased complexion before I give an explanation. I grew up on Prince, I have a matching symbolic tattoo with my papa of Prince, my first ever live performance was a song from Prince, I wear passed down merch from my parents of Prince… all of this screams biased but I truly feel he shaped the way music was created and encountered and paved the way for other artists to follow in his path. 
This song from the album ‘Purple Rain’ From Prince and The Revolution is simply iconic for any era of music as it strips away the codes and conventions of a pop song with its distinguishing lack of bassline. The bassline does not make an appearance once and quite frankly, it's not needed. The guitar makes itself known having the strongest presence in the track as an intense riff is played right off the bat to captivate a listener's interest and is very different to previous solos crafted from his fingertips, his lyrical writing for this song is distinguished and marries his vocal melodies and falsetto throughout the song tremendously. The 80’s staccato synth melody line painted over the chorus connotes the idea of tears dropping for the listening cemented by the line “This is what it sounds like, when doves cry”.  The fact that he used one drum machine for this whole album, crafting different drum patterns to appropriate each song, makes this album even more monumental for music. 
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After his death, my Pap was completely silent for a week and it made me realise how much of an impact Prince actually had on our dominant hegemonic society. Another moment that  cemented this for me was Beyonce's 2014 ‘Formation World Tour’. The stadium went completely black until the 10ft cube used for the stage shone a shade of purple and following was the momentous guitar intro of the song, Purple Rain. I looked around the sold out stadium as beams of phone torches radiated a heartfelt glow revealing he is never truly gone and not just in the hearts of his fans but hearts of artists who are at the top of their game. 
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Prince will forever have a special place in my heart and crafting my own musical experience.I am truly gutted I will never actually see him live however, his legacy and stamp on music will live on through me, my pap, his fans and music itself. 

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Beyonce's Whole Discography

​After writing my whole dissertation on Beyonce, I do feel we have been sucked into the realm of ‘Beyonce World’ as she has been in the industry for 22 years. She has had to reinvent her brand constantly to appropriate the dominant ideologies of women in the music industry but has never failed to fulfill this role successfully. It is essential that the recognition of this should be taken into account, she has been on top of the game and has become more than a household name even if you do not like her music. 
I delved into the world of Beyonce but not fully until the self titled album dropped which really impacted the Beyonce fandom and how music would be marketed digitally in the future. A small teenager the age of fourteen screaming ‘Blow’ with her best friend Ella and then realising years later that the song was based upon foreplay, unforgettable. I was mesmerized and in awe of her artistry, essentially merging 17 identities of women into one album, everyone is celebrated. ‘Blow’, ‘Partition’ and ‘Drunk In Love’ are my favourites from this album, exhibiting a vast differentiation of effortless vocals from rapping, sexy falsettos and a mouthful of ecstasy every time she uses her vocal range wisely. This album also introduced me to using the beloved 808 bassline in my own music which originated from the TR-808 drum machine and became vital in early 90s being added into synth samples. Now, I simply add a kick drum and distort it to recreate this famous sound, which is used in ‘Partition’. 

When Lemonade dropped, I lost my shit. I was angry because she was angry and four years later, I still listen to her live songs and album if I get upset to cheer me up. I was mesmerized by the visual narrative that married itself alongside the musical arrangement. ‘Pray You Catch Me’ resonates with my body, I love how a simple ‘uh’ and ‘ah’ from the vocals can be painted into harmonious melodic lines to introduce the song followed by a simple piano arrangement partnered with painful vocals. 

Her additional projects have remained with me, ‘Homecoming’ was truly a sight to behold, her powerful collaboration with other artists to present ‘The Gift’ was extraordinary. She has reinvented and elevated herself and her brand in every step in her career. 
I believe she sets a perspective on how women should be, I sometimes tell myself I should more like beyonce when I am in a pit of self doubt and anxiety. She is an icon. 

Malamente - Rosalia
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Malamente was a song that came to me unexpectedly. I was doing a module at the time that focussed on using vocal ability not just to sing but to produce musical creations. My tutor had given us a playlist for inspiration and this song was firmly sitting ready for listening. I think my tutor is really cool now after listening to this song. 
What captured my attention was the synth introduction of four chords which then was accompanied gracefully by a drum beat that's made purely out of hand claps. I think it is sick. 

The song is purely in Spanish and to this day I still have no idea what she is saying but I know all the words and have an understanding that ‘Malamente’ means badly. The song being in spanish elevates the accompaniment of the melodic line and also produces an sensual atmosphere which immerses you into the spanish genre completely. Her vocal range is sweet but deadly and her harmonies compliment the verses beautifully. I am really glad that Rosalia is now becoming an artist of mainstream music as she is so talented and I really do not think people should be scrutinised for singing songs not in the english language, broaden your horizons because you are missing out on a vast culture of music and inspiration. 

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​Sick Thoughts - Lewis Blissett

This has been a recent favorite of mine not only because of the deep rhythmic synth line that cuts you like a knife in the chorus but because of its lyrical content. When I first heard it, I thought the song was about a breakup until I delved deeper. I related to this song as it basically described the process of my eating disorder and how it consumes your body and mental capacity as a whole entity. The line that completely stands out for me: ‘Look at us and what we started, I’m so sick and broken hearted’ coming home and realising that I needed to get help was such a turning point and even admitting to myself that I was super sick and essentially broken hearted over my situation helped me get out of that horrible hole I had put myself in and that is a huge thing to do.

He essentially word paints with staccato diction the bridge with the synth escaping to show how mentally and physically exhausting having a disorder is. He then transports the piece back to its original content with a built in crescendo to end the song. The echoed tonality of major to minor mixed with futuristic textures makes the song have a juxtaposition of feeling unpleasant and comforting at the same time which I think is sick.

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SweetSexySavage - Kehlani 


​I stumbled on Kehlani because of how aesthetically pleasing the artwork for this album is. She looks like a goddess and I can't get over it. 
This album came out 2017 so I was 17/18 at the time and ‘Sweet, Sexy and Savage’ was something I wanted adult me to consume and become. This album advanced me out of the general pop chart genre into more of the grown up sexy R&B/ soul genres, I hate chart music now. 
I believe the thematic of song lyrics, triumphant use of drum patterns, the sass radiated to and from songs and her luscious vocals being a staple of the record, cemented my love for this album. 

Undercover - This is my favourite song off this album and forever will be. Producer, Charlie Heat created the song using latin as inspiration he says he was ‘On that latin wave’. You can hear this dispensed throughout the song with elements such as the latin percussion and the major piano riffs and chords stereotypical to this genre. Charlie also uses sounds that we are used to such as the 808 bassline, fabricate all these elements into a song and pair it Kehlani’s flawless vocals and you are hooked. Think that is why I love this song so much and still do. 

Personal -  Projecting myself into adult life and realising people from school are actually dicks was something that struck me when listening to this song for the first time. It wasn't me that was the problem, it was them.  

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I keep listening to these songs and never seem to get bored of them and I hope I never do, happy listening and 'Let's talk about it' or songs in this instance.