‘No Way’ offers up the good vibes to calm you down and see you through the evening in the right kind of mindset. The musicality of the piece is mellow and jazz-like, a familiar sample, the organic sound of the instrumentation has a certain blissful simplicity that just oozes style and gives off a laid back kind of ambiance. On top of this, the leading artist’s vocal performance comes through in a way that fits brilliantly with the surrounding atmosphere.
The mood is set and maintained by everything involved. The performance is mellow yet loaded with character. The gentle crack of the voice, the somewhat freestyle nature of the lyrics, the fact that the whole thing teeters between the spoken word and the melodic – it all adds to that underlying energy, and this is what passes on to you as you listen.
The music has that addictive, easy to listen to on repeat quality about it. There’s nothing hugely memorable about the melody or the lines, but there’s a lot that stands out about the character and performance style of that leading voice.
There’s a lot about the story telling that just screams individuality, and this brings about a memorable and enjoyable freshness. The artistry is not copied from anywhere, it’s the creative’s own experience, these words are the creative’s own poetic interpretation or reflection of the world around him. Adding to the easy going vibes is the content, even teetering towards the comedic on occasion, but also intermittently reminding you of the depth and realness that is modern life – that it’s not always rainbows and butterflies. There’s always a need for calming music, just as there is for that which speaks the truth, that which keeps it real. The balance works here.
By Rebecca Cullen
Rebecca is a Musician and writer from Manchester, UK, with an MA in Song Writing
