Greyson Chance - Holy Feeling - Single [Review]

American singer/songwriter Greyson Chance is supposed to be following up his studio album portraits (which I reviewed here) sometime this year, and I say supposed to be because it sure has been a long tease. Following the release of portraits in 2019, the singer first released a new song titled "Boots" later that same year, and promotion of the new album has been a slow burn ever since, with five more songs released since - "Dancing Next to Me," "Honeysuckle," "Athlete," "Bad to Myself," and now "Holy Feeling." (It is still unclear how many of these songs will remain standalone releases and how many will end up on the album. Chance is notorious for releasing singles that end up homeless, so it wouldn't surprise me if not all of them make the cut.) "Holy Feeling" begins with ambient nature sounds such as animal calls and moves into acoustic guitar underneath Chance's signature smoky low register. "Your body is here, but your eyes are wandering off," he begins, "in the cracks of your ceiling; I'm wondering where you are while I'm getting lost in the soft light under your skin. I'm waiting for you to give up and let me in." I do think that these lyrics (as well as some that follow) potentially have a sexual meaning as well as more abstract meaning, as I do think that the speaker (like Chance himself) is reflecting on his lover being present during a sexual act in body but not in spirit. (The chorus going on to assert that "it brings you to your knees, so give into me, holy feeling..." does nothing to curb this suspicion for me.)

I think that the probable sexual innuendo is intended to be secondary, however, as Greyson had this to say about the song's meaning: "'Holy Feeling' is about being present and focusing on the beauty of what's in front of you, instead of what lies unknowingly in the future." While I am not religious in this sense myself, I am sure that there are some Christians who would be upset by some of the lyrics, deeming them as sacrilegious: "...so what do you need?" Greyson demands to know in the aforementioned chorus, "Holy feeling, the type your God can't give you..." It seems to me as if Chance is requesting that his lover be present with him in the moment, not in divine thought worrying about things like fate and where the future is headed, because he can bring him greater peace and relief than God ever could. The song has a soft piano rock quality to it that is typical of Greyson Chance's music, reminiscent of artists like Edwin McCain, The Fray, Gavin DeGraw, and so forth, and it's sonically the type of song that you would expect to hear near the end of a feel-good high school movie in which a sports team enjoys an epic victory in the rain. It's a nice song, although "Honeysuckle" remains my favorite of the new bunch so far. Greyson also released an acoustic unplugged version of the song, which is much more stripped back and more raw (both in production and in Greyson's vocals) than the original version.

Lana Del Rey - Chemtrails over the Country Club - Single [Review]

American singer/songwriter is set to release her new studio album Chemtrails over the Country Club on March 19 this year, only a little more than a month away, and the title track is the second single to be released from the album following "Let Me Love You Like a Woman" (which I reviewed here). I don't hate "Let Me Love You Like a Woman" but also consider it to be fairly weak especially in comparison to the masterpiece that is Norman Fucking Rockwell! (reviewed here), and although I definitely prefer "Chemtrails over the Country Club" to "Let Me Love You Like a Woman," it still doesn't come close to capturing the way that NFR! makes me feel. It's rather simplistic in its production, although the melody is interesting in how it gently wavers like ocean waves, especially in the chorus: "I'm on the run with you, my sweet love," Lana coos. "There's nothing wrong contemplating God under the chemtrails over the country club." Lana is initially accompanied by very light and gentle piano, drowned out by Lana's loud but also somewhat distant vocals, while more instrumentals gradually join in as the song progresses. What is most interesting about this track is that it takes a somewhat unexpected turn near the end, with the last forty-five seconds or so leaving Lana's vocals out of the equation and sticking to merely a marching rhythm carried out by snare drum and cymbals. The music video is even more unexpected, as its initial imagery of summer paradise is jarringly interrupted by horror-esque images of fire, fangs, and blood. All of this suggests to me that there might be something somewhat sinister lurking underneath the song's seemingly happy lyrics. Throughout the song, Lana references bliss in listed activities such as swimming, drag racing, meeting for coffee, and so forth, but, as Genius points out, chemtrails are a popular discussion amongst conspiracy theorists who believe them to be emissions of harmful chemicals being dispersed by the government. It is therefore possible that the song is touching upon blissful ignorance, using said conspiracy theory as a metaphor. All in all, it's not a bad song by any means, but neither this nor the preceding single leave me thinking that Chemtrails over the Country Club is going to be Lana's magnum opus, and I hope that the album offers other numbers to which I connect more deeply than I have these two.

Lana Del Rey - Summertime (The Gershwin Version) - Single / You'll Never Walk Alone [from The End of the Storm: Official Soundtrack] [Review]

Back in 2019, American singer/songwriter Lana Del Rey released a cover of Sublime's "Doin' Time," and while it was originally intended only for a Sublime documentary and not for her soon to be released studio album Norman Fucking Rockwell! (which I reviewed here), it ended up making the NFR! cut all the same. The Sublime song (and, obviously, by default, the Lana Del Rey cover) samples the classic (and very old) jazz song "Summertime" by George Gershwin. Lana herself has always seemed to be a big fan of old school music, especially jazz, so it comes as no surprise to me that she has now covered the original version of the song that Sublime's version samples. (The song has also been covered by Billie Holiday, of whom Lana is an avid fan.) It's really only a small part of the song that "Doin' Time" samples, making this song a very, very different song. It's much slower and more focused, but fans of the Sublime song (and/or, obviously, the Lana Del Rey cover) will definitely recognize Lana's opening lyrics and melody: "Summertime, and the livin' is easy." The song begins with somewhat eerie chanting and gently strumming acoustic guitar, and even though other elements do join in (such as piano and a very gentle and soft beat, just to name a couple), the song remains pretty tender and slow throughout its entirety. (The tempo, in fact, never really changes at all.) What's interesting is that, according to Genius (and I had honestly suspected as much anyway because of some of the song's lyrical phrasing with words such as cotton and mammy), the song, originally being part of the play Porgy & Bess, was written from the perspective of a black slave living in the south addressing a white baby, assuring the baby that he/she is going to have a good life because he/she is white: "Oh, your daddy's rich, and your ma is good lookin', so hush, little baby; don't you cry." Because of the song's lyrics being rather poetic and abstract, however, it can of course be repurposed and reinterpreted. Lana, for example, is very unlikely intending to sing from such a perspective (as that would be kind of inappropriate). Like I said, however, the great thing about poetic and abstract art is that there isn't one single way to view it, and I adore this take on the song. It's so haunting and beautiful.

 

Soon after releasing "Summertime," Lana released yet another cover version of a classic song - "You'll Never Walk Alone" - which was written in 1945 by Rodgers & Hammerstein for the musical Carousel. I have to admit that prior to hearing Lana's version of the song, I hadn't been aware of the song, but I was absolutely blown away and brought to tears by Lana's rendition. Her version is heavily fueled by piano which is what it begins on (and piano is one of my favorite instruments), but when Lana breaks through, she sings the first verse completely a cappella which is so chilling. She is soon joined by strings, and making for one of the most theatrical recordings that Lana has ever done (if not the most), a Gregorian-esque choir takes control approximately halfway through the track. When Lana comes back into the fold, she is accompanied by the choir, and it is absolutely gorgeous and chilling to the bone. I realize that what I am about to say is very high praise, but it's 100% truthful - I believe that I can honestly say that this song showcases the most impressive vocal work that Lana has done in her career thus far. Her voice here is so angelic and soars; it even boasts somewhat of a vibrato effect, and I don't know if I have ever heard her sing like this before. Don't get me wrong; I am a huge fan of Lana Del Rey and think that she has a great voice, but this just seems like a new and more ambitious style for her, and I adore it. The song is lyrically beautiful but pretty simple: "Walk on, walk on," the chorus encourages us, "and you'll never walk alone." We are encouraged to remain positive through difficult times because we are not alone; others endure similar struggles, and there is light at the end of the dark tunnel especially if we hold on to hope. Lana's cover is featured on the soundtrack to the film The End of the Storm (making the lyrics' references to a storm all the more fitting) along with an instrumental orchestral version of the song (which are also both featured on a limited edition 7" vinyl single). According to Genius, Lana will be releasing a collection of covers some time this year titled American Classics and Standards, and the collection will include "Summertime." With "You'll Never Walk Alone" also fitting the description of that title, I wonder if it will also be featured.