Review of the Week: Amber O’Brien- Work it Out (2021)

It is always a pleasure to delve into new music by up-and-coming performers. I have quickly come to understand the ambition and drive that comes with each new generation of aspiring musicians from across the Portsmouth area, the latest contribution to the catalogue coming from Amber O’Brien.  

“Work it Out,” delivers a short but sweet taste of ethereal guitar-pop, flowing in a similar timbre to Billie Eilish or Lana Del Rey. The steady nature of the song is a mild mood-settler, and the harmony is simple and easy on the ear, fitting either an acoustic or electric setting perfectly. Lyrically, the song’s repetition lulls the listener in a laid-back kind of way with a nice chorus hook. For the simplicity of the arrangement, the mix is well balanced with plenty of space for each element of the track, and as the energy ramps up, it doesn’t feel too cluttered.

     What I would love to see in future releases is some more development and experimentation with vocal toplines and the overall song structure. There are a couple of lyrical cliches for this modern era of pop, but the vocal delivery allows this to avoid being tastelessly overdone. This is a great start, but the writing needs to have more contour and variation, otherwise the listener is less likely to come back and listen again.

It would be interesting to see some more creativity with the arrangement, (more varied ways of having parts dropping in and out, an instrumental counter melody/part to complement the vocal) and as mentioned before, the song length leaves the instruments wanting somewhere else to go. Take some time to experiment with new sections and see what new shape it gives to the song. One or two backing vocal parts would give this track a sharper creative edge and alleviate some of the weight carried by the lead vocal when communicating with the listener.

It’s exciting to see the impact that modern pop is having on the increasing number of emerging artists/songwriters, and this is a marker from which only great things ought to develop. Taking what is already presented here, and perhaps rerunning it time and again as the level of writing and arranging matures will surely turn the great potential this song has into something even more impactful. Let’s hear more again soon! 

Links

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvekwTv6sF0&ab_channel=StVincentCollege-Topic

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/06G5DItYDlJhqfPJbaDQ3w