‘Angel Above My Bed’, what a gorgeous and stylish song. The set up holds great appeal in itself, a simplistic introduction, hinting at a country rock influence, but leaning later on towards the more folk-inspired side of song writing. The artist’s leading vocal performance is beautiful. There’s a boldness to it that is striking, and massively refreshing. The song hits much harder because of the voice presenting it’s ideas and it’s melodies.
Instrumentally, the whole thing stays pretty minimal throughout. There is a build up for those chorus sections, just slightly, to add impact – the guitar riffs work really well at this point – but for the most part it’s a very easy going, emotionally loaded ballad with a stunning bit of charisma and character embedded – particularly in that voice.
The song is powerful in a subtle sort of way, and that’s what makes it work. Alesia’s voice is incredible, and yet it appears to be an effortless performance for her; it sounds very natural, and those rare moments of gravel in the tone add so much to the feeling of the overall track.
It’s good to know there are artists writing songs like this and performing them with such genuine passion. The concept is simple, it stands out, it represents certain ideas and thoughts, and it’s expressed in a beautifully appropriate manner that makes you really want to listen a few more times, to make sure it all sinks in (and so that you can sing along). The song does have that country twang to it throughout, but the way it’s been written means it could really work in just about any sort of genre or style. It’s an open book of sorts, a warm melody and a comforting story, with a generally peaceful presentation that’s a pleasure to listen to.
By Rebecca Cullen
Rebecca is a Musician and writer from Manchester, UK, with an MA in Song Writing.
