SINGLE REVIEW: Worried About You by RaR ft. J. Burney

RaR are an EDM duo hailing from Sydney, Australia. They are currently known to the world as Rich and Raymo, with Rich having been involved in the dance music industry for some time, working in venues all around the world, including London. Raymo, until recently, had not been involved with music, but in 2017 they decided to join forces and commit to their great passion for dance music on a full-time basis.

Following on from their last single Darkness (featuring Elizabeth Robinson), this single Worried About You (this time featuring the vocal talents of J. Burney) is a distinct change of pace for Rich and Raymo. Worried About You is a modern pop/EDM ballad in the style of Justin Bieber.

Starting simply with subtle synths and finger clicks, the vocals enter with the line, “Stop, I need an answer….”. The song is about trying to move on from a relationship, but still caring about someone, which many will relate to. Burney has a fine voice with an excellent range, which has been produced exquisitely by the RaR team. It reaches the standard necessary to compete with the slick polished sound we hear in the charts, with impressive use of reverb and delay.

Burney’s range manifests itself on the gentle, emotive bridge before entering the mellow but memorable chorus with its effective refrain: “I’ve been trying to move on but I cant, cos I’m still worried about you…”. A four to the floor beat enters on the repeat which adds a slight dance feel. The middle eight features a nice piano line which returns in the halftime and break-down choruses that bring the track to a close.

Overall, this is a first-rate pop production from the RaR boys. Whilst still keeping one foot in the EDM world, this song shows another side to their oeuvre. In J. Burney they have found a brilliant vocalist who performs this song with sensitivity and style. With its radio friendly sound and catchy chorus, it has an appeal right across the board and should be another successful release for RaR. They are going from strength to strength.

VERDICT: 8.2 out of 10 

Alex Faulkner

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SINGLE REVIEW: Promise For Keeps by Matthew Schultz

https://www.facebook.com/matthewbschultz/

Matthew Schultz is an artist with an interesting background in the entertainment industry, having been involved in it since his teen years. He’s a multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer and performer who started out playing guitar in Chris Daughtry’s first band. He’s also diversified into acting, cast for a role in The Dark Knight Rises as well as roles in the award-winning short film Redemptio and comedy 10 Rules For Sleeping Around, amongst others.

He has already made a strong impact on the music industry with his previous releases. His first single, Money or Me, was produced by Armando Guarnera and earned him a nomination at the 2013 EOTM Awards, as well as one for best new male artist. He followed this up with Crazy Heart (ft. Alessia Guarnera) in 2014, then in 2015 he released We Own The Night (feat. Jim Jones). Last year saw a house remix of this track by Follow The Moon gain considerable popularity. These releases were all widely acclaimed and he has accumulated a huge following on Facebook and Twitter in the process.

His latest single, Promise For Keeps, sees him return to the fray in some style. Musically, it is has its finger on the pulse, blending elements of EDM and Major Lazer-esque dancehall to create a fresh sounding, cutting edge pop track. The theme is highly romantic, with the protagonist pondering the idea of long-term commitment to the new love in his life: “I love that I’m close to you, so much love to show to you, I hope I’m not thinking too far ahead….”.

It starts with just vocals and synths, gradually building with light percussion up to the first chorus, which is instantly memorable the first time you hear it. In the second verse a four-to-the-floor beat kicks in and the track starts to really groove. This incrementally structured arrangement means there is frequency something new entering the mix and so doesn’t get old after repeated listens, there is always something drawing the listener in. After the track has built up to a full beat, there’s a drop down section which works well dynamically, making the last choruses more effective.

There are several hooks that deployed throughout the song that make it super catchy, such as the romantic “I’ll take you far from here…”, “Let’s plant a seed for love to grow” and the philosophical “You reap what you sow and you sow what you reap“. The laid back tempo is reminiscent of Drake’s monster hit One Dance, and you can imagine this track going down equally well in a nightclub.

Overall, Matthew Schultz has come up with a first rate piece of modern pop that effortlessly blends several genres and styles, which will work equally well on the radio and the dancefloor. It’s a song that will fit in perfectly in the current musical landscape of Taylor Swift, Drake and Justin Bieber, with mainstream pop the place where the innovations are being made. In short, it has massive hit written all over it. With an army of fans awaiting new material, he will undoubtedly make many new ones with this single, and 2018 could find him taking his success to a new level.

 

VERDICT: 9.1 out of 10

Alex Faulkner