True passion pours out of Brannon’s “I’ll Be Here Waiting (feat. J Lyrikal)”. Full of tenderness the way the song unfolds gives it a sense of life. Building up in a cinematic way, vocals show off an impressive flow, one that weaves throughout the many emotions that can run through a sense of longing for another. Stylistically Brannon ties in a wide variety of genres ranging from dubstep to hip-hop to electro to even a hint of rock into the overall proceedings. Applying these multiple layers of sound with an impressionistic, painterly quality the whole thing truly stuns.
Not a moment is wasted for piano helps to set the tone for the entire piece. Going for a spacious scope, the beats hit hard with a physicality to them. By far the true soul comes from the clear-eyed storytelling done with a unique kind of poetry. Energy ebbs and flows with such majesty, as the grooves carry the words with such strength. Done with the greatest of care every single element comes clear into view. Sparkling and shimmering, the whole of the piece radiates with such love. For the latter half of the piece the lyrics shift to owning up to one’s own failings for the track’s gracious finale. Everything comes together into a lush stream of sound done with such joy.
Incredibly beautiful with a wonderful sense of honesty, Brannon’s “I’ll Be Here Waiting (feat. J Lyrikal) transforms into a venerable force of nature.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
My name is Jonathon Brannon. I grew up in the small desert town of Baker, Ca – home of the “World’s Tallest Thermometer”. At that time it had a population around 900 people, give or take. I’ve always been a music lover. I always had my Sony Walkman with me. I actually didn’t start writing songs until I was about 24, so you can say I was a late starter. Since I don’t sing or play an instrument, the songs were simply lyrics on a page. I continued to write songs for about five or six years until I decided I had written a song that was good enough and that I was proud of, to seek someone to write music to my lyrics. Through that journey back in 2007, I came across studio vocalist David Cagle. Since then, he and I have been making songs ever since and I’m proud to say that David Cagle is the official voice of Brannon.
Brannon is a studio based project. From myself submitting my lyrics, ideas and raw vocal sample for the song to a producer to write the music, to David Cagle laying down his vocals, to finally, having that song mixed and mastered professionally, all of the music you hear from Brannon is created online.
Brannon consists of myself (lyrics) and David Cagle (vocals). I seek out producers to write the music to my lyrics and melody ideas, etc.
We have released two full length acoustic rock/singer-songwriter albums, a hip hop album that we collaborated with awesome independent rappers, as well as several singles. Currently, we just released two hip hop singles that we collaborated with Noahsoundz and J Lyrikal on.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
I’m still trying to get significant airplay. Perhaps you have some tips?
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
We are so awesome that we never make mistakes. Not performing live has helped with that.
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
We do not tour since we are a studio based project.
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
I’m currently working with two turntables and a microphone. Honestly, my iPhone has worked wonders in helping to make my songs come to life.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Social media. Social media. Social media. As strictly a studio based project, social media is extremely important in getting our music heard. YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, have all played significant roles in building an audience.
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
If I were a performer, I would probably say Bruce Springsteen in New York City. He’s The Boss. I’ve taken great inspiration from Bruce Springsteen for my own songwriting.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
Yes! This Friday June 15, 2018 we are releasing a new hip hop single called I’ll Be Here Waiting, which features hip hop artist J Lyrikal from Michigan. That will be available worldwide on all digital platforms. Also, I’ve started writing songs for our third full length album. In between, we will be releasing more music.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Sleeping. Is sleeping a good answer?
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in the next year or so?
More music!
Exposed Vocals: Any Shout-outs?
Hi mom!
